k!*?»!»*+ 


I^IBRARV 

OK  THK 


University  of  California. 

Received          C^^y^^-           >  '^9.0. 
Accession  No.  7/^  0  6fJ2     •    Class  No. 


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CO 


SIGN; 


ITS 


THEORY     AND     PROCESS, 


PRACTICALLY    DELINEATED. 


BY    11 EV.   THEO.    SPENCER, 


If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  hinaself,  and  take 
up  his  cross,  and  follow  me. — Matt.  xvi.  24. 


NEW    YORK: 
PUBLISHED    BY    M.    W.    DODD, 

OORNIB  8PRU01!  BTREIiT  AND  OITT  HALL  8QUARK 

1864. 


ENTERED,  ACCORDING  TO  ACT  OF  CONGRESS,  IN  THE  YEAR  1854,  BY 

THEODORE    SPENCER, 

IN  THE  CLERK'S  OFFICE  OF  THE  NORTHERN  DISTRICT  OF  NEW-YORK. 


7^^  ^  2 


FOUNDRY  OF  S.  ANPRUS    AND    SON, 

HARTFORD. 

W.  C.  Arnistrouff.  Typosraphei. 


v= 


PREFACE. 


The  chief  objects  of  the  following  work  are  to  enlighten  the 
honest  inquirer  in  relation  to  his  duty  to  God,  to  encourage  the 
believer  in  faith  and  hope,  and  to  aid  the  churches  in  advancing 
the  work  of  grace  in  their  congregations.  The  writer  is  deeply 
impressed  with  the  responsibility  of  attempting  to  guide  immortal 
souls  into  the  right  paths,  but  the  providence  of  God  seems  so  evi- 
dently to  have  "laid  a  necessity  upon  him,"  that  he  dares  not  shrink 
from  the  duty.  In  discharging  it,  he  has  endeavored  to  present  the 
cardinal  evangelical  doctrines  without  formality,  and  merely  as  the 
exigencies  of  his  subject  demanded ;  and  while  he  has  avoided  dry 
theological  discussions  and  every  thing  merely  theoretical,  he  has 
not  hesitited  to  develop  every  important  principle  which  was  adapted 
to  his  designs,  even  at  the  hazard  of  being  considered  too  particular 
by  the  ignorant  or  indolent. 

In  the  earlier  period  of  his  ministry  he  was  much  disheartened 
by  the  absence  of  that  precision  of  instruction  in  relation  to  the 
sinner's  duty  to  Christ  which  is  so  indispensable  to  his  intelligent 
discharge  of  it,  and  consequently  to  his  final  salvation.  In  every 
other  branch  of  science  such  accuracy  is  attainable,  and  indeed  is  a 
peculiar  beauty  in  the  legal  and  other  professions;  and  it  seemed 
evident  that  the  Scriptures  intended  it  should  be  acquired  on  this  most 
important  of  all  subjects  also.  The  many  discouraging  apostasies 
which  followed  his  own  and  others'  instructions,  finally  determined 
the  writer  to  devote  himself  to  a  study  of  the  position,  exigencies, 
and  capabilities  of  impenitent  and  regenerate  mind,  the  truths  that 
.were  adapted  to  its  various  frames,  and  the  ways  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
with  the  hearts  of  men  so  far  as  they  were  revealed  or  were  dis- 
coverable from  the  impressions  produced  by  him.    The  results  of 


4  PKEFACE. 

such  investigations,  pursued  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
during  which  he  has  conversed  with  thousands  of  careless  persons, 
convicted  sinners,  or  doubting  Christians,  are  now  presented  to  the 
reader.  While  engaged  in  them,  he  has  never  knowingly  suffered 
his  opinions  to  be  influenced  by  fancy,  or  by  the  power  of  mere 
authority  except  that  of  divine  revelation,  which  has  always  been 
absolute  with  him;  but  he  has  endeavored  to  elucidate  the  teachings 
of  the  Scriptures  by  developing  facts  and  principles  as  they  exist  in 
the  actual  workings  of  the  human  mind. 

The  majority  of  those  who  have  intellectually  received  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  and  who  have  enjoyed  its  instructions,  (for  whom  this 
work  is  intended,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  caviler  and  the  sceptic,) 
have  at  some  periods  indulged  hopes  of  heaven  more  or  less  con- 
fidently, and  which  have  proved  to  be  more  or  less  transient.  To 
meet  the  necessities  of  such,  the  writer  has  commenced  with  an 
investigation  of  various  grounds  of  hope ;  these  should  be  critically 
examined  also  by  every  reader,  whether  he  is  avowedly  destitute  of 
a  hope  in  Christ,  or  whether  he  entertains  one  in  the  validity  of 
which  he  is  confident;  for  a  knowledge  of  them  is  indispensable 
to  an  intelligent  perusal  of  the  remainder  of  the  work.  May  the 
Most  High  condescend  to  make  it  conducive  to  his  own  glory  in 
turning  smners  to  righteousness,  and  in  preparing  many  of  his 
children  for  a  more  useful  service  here,  and  for  a  joyous  passage 
through  the  dark  valley  of  death  to  the  blessedness  of  his  holy 
and  heavenly  kingdom! 

Utica,  N.  Y.,  1854. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAFTER    I. 

ANALYSIS     OF     VARIOUS     RELIGIOUS     EXPIRIBNOBS 

Remarks  upon  the  difficulties  usually  encountered  by  the  unconverted 
in  embracing  religion. — Proposition  to  explain  the  precise  duty 
of  the  sinner,  in  turning  to  God. — Necessity  of  retrospection  in 
order  to  a  clear  knowledge  of  his  present  position. — Statement 
of  the  general  plan  of  the  work. — What  is  intended  by  the  deceit- 
fulness  of  the  heart. — Development  of  the  Inquirer's  early  reli- 
gious views,  and  of  his  efforts  for  salvation  and  various  other 
exercises. — Delineation  of  various  means  adopted  by  other  persons 
in  order  to  their  salvation, 11 


CHAFTER     II. 

■LXMXNTS     OF     MORAL     CHARACTXR     IN     OICNZRAL. 

The  moral  superiority  of  uprightness  over  interest  or  pleasure. — The 
distinction  between  natural  and  moral  character. — Also,  that  be- 
tween character,  reputation,  and  happiness. — How  moral  character 
is  fo  be  determined. — The  rise  and  character  of  the  mental  exercises, 
— In  what  liberty  consists. — Whether  moral  character  is  transfer- 
able.— The  difference  between  the  principles  which  decide  the 
personal  character  of   an  agent,  and   those  which  determine   the 

character  of  his  actions, 3  ? 

1^ 


Q  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER     III. 

ELI1M2NTS     OF     HOLT     CHABAOTHB. 

PAOB. 

Holy  character  the  constituent  principle  of  regeneration,  submission, 
conversion,  obedience,  repentance,  faith,  and  the  new  heart. — 
Whence  Christ  derives  his  legal  authority  to  rule  over  mankind. 
— Answered  from  the  deductions  of  reason ;  and  from  the  declara- 
tions of  Christ  himself. ^-Whether  our  relations  to  him  savor  of 
bondage. — Important  practical  distinction  between  freedom  and 
voluntariness. — The  benevolence,  mercy,  and  justice  of  God. — 
The  ultimate  end  which  Christ  contemplates  in  the  administra- 
tion of  his  moral  government,  shown  from  the  Scriptures. — The 
development  of  his  natural  glory  in  the  creation  of  the  material 
worlds. — The  exhibition  of  his  moral  glory  in  the  administration 
of  his  providential  and  moral  governments. — What  is  intended 
by  the  glory  of  God. — What,  by  the  beauty  of  holiness. — Why 
God  loves  and  pursues  his  own  glory  supremely. — What  deter- 
mines the  holy  character  of  God. — What,  that  of  saints  and 
angels. — What,  that  of  believers  on  earth. — What  constitutes  the 
Christian  religion, 48 

CHAPTER      IV. 

E-LEMENTa     OF    -UNHOLY     CHABACTEB. 

The  cause  of  sin  in  the  natural  heart. — The  principle  illustrated. — 
Difference  between  desire  and  preference. — What  intended  by 
selfishness. — Selfishness  the  parent-principle  of  all  sin  and  misery, 
— W^hy  its  moral  character  and  odiousness  is  so  much  concealed. 
— The  Scriptural  view  of  the  character  of  the  sinner. — The  mean- 
ing of  flesh  and  blood  when  used  figuratively  by  the  sacred  writers. 
— Three  principal  points  of  antagonism  between  the  sinner  and 
God,  explained. — What  intended  by  the  total  moral  depravity  of 
the  natural  heart. — Results  of  the  holy  opposition  of  God  towards 
the  sinner; — in  the  immutability  of  his  hostility  to  him  as  a  sin- 
ner;— in  his  disapprobation  of  his  character  and  conduct; — in  his 
cordial  dislike  of  him,  his  principles,  feelings,  and  conduct; — ^in 
his  purpose  to  punish   him. — Character  of  the  happiness  in    the 


CONTENTS.  7 

PAOB. 

eternal  state  which  is  contemplated  by  the  sinner;  and  his  char- 
acter in  the  pursuit  of  it. — Morality  acceptable  to  God  only  when 
springing  from  a  principle  of  piety. — The  difference  between  acting 
from  principle,  and  from  a  supposed  right  way  to  effect  some 
desired  end,  illustrated,        67 


CHAPTER     V. 

MOBAI.    OHABA.0T31KI8TIC8     OF     THE     EXKKCISXS      BEFORE     ANALYZED. 

Sincerity  no  valid  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  thing  believed. — Nor 
are  the  happy  feelings  produced  by  our  belief  or  hope. — Review 
of  the  moral  character  of  the  Inquirer's  early  exercises. —  Charac- 
ter of  his  convictions  of  sin. — Of  his  original  purposes  of  obedience. 
— Of  his  dependence  and  hope  in  Christ. — What  intended  by  the 
salvation  of  God. — Character  of  the  first  works  of  others  before 
described. — Rise  and  character  of  the  Inquirer's  ntw  feelings,  or 
supposed  evidences. — Of  his  gratitude  toward  Christ. — Of  his  ex- 
ercises toward  sin; — toward  Christians; — toward  sinners. — Of  his 
feelings  in  respect  to  prayer ; — resrding  the  Scriptures ; — in  self- 
examination  ; — in  aiding  religious  of  benevolent  objects; — in  pur- 
posing a  public  profession  of  religion. — Character  of  his  feelings 
while  declining  in  religion. — Of  his  external  deportment. — Of  his 
present  exercises. — The  character  of  the  whole  series  illustrated. 
— Inquirer's  exact  position. — The  feelings  and  purposes  of  God  in 
such  cases. — The  nature  of  the  sinner's  inability  illustrated,  and 
practically  tested, 98 

CHAPTER     VI. 

OB8TA0LZ8     TO     THZ     SINNER'S     FROORZSS. 

Reasonableness  of  abandoning  the  pursuit  of  whatever  is  seen,  from 
argument  and  experience,  to  be  unattainable. — Propositions  respect- 
ing the  formation  of  a  resolution  on  a  moral  subject,  where  love 
is  not  excited,  and  where  there  is  no  personal  benefit  to  anticipate, 
or  injury  to  apprehend. — General  illustration  of  this  principle. — 
Examination  of  the  sinner's  action  on  various  points,  and  the  devel- 
opment of  various  theoretical  errors  and  practical  hindrances,  .     .  158 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER     VII. 

OnSTACLaS     to     THS     sinner's     PaOQBBSS. 

PAOE. 

Explanation  of  the  selfish  character  of  various  expedients  resorted  to 
by  sinners. — Whether  a  gradual  change  of  heart  can  be  effected 
by  enhghtening  the  mind  in  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  the  Scrip- 
tures.— What  aid  in  accomplishing  his  purposes  the  sinner  may 
expect  from  man;  or  God. — Development  of  his  guilty  and  lost 
state. — Exhibition  of  the  inadequacy  of  various  other  expedients  of 
the  sinner. — His  actions  on  the  moral  proposition  before  given,    .     .  184 


CHATTER     VIII. 

DEVELOPMENT    OF     RIGHT     MORAI.     PRINCIPLES. 

Exposition  and  adoption  of  various  positions  in  respect  to  the  au- 
thority of  God ; — to  the  avoidance  of  sin: — to  the  renunciation  of 
self-control ; — to  the  abandonment  of  selfish  pursuits  ; — to  consecra- 
tion to  the  divine  wjll; — to  devotion  to  the  divine  glory • — The 
authority  of  consciousness  as  an  internal  evidence. — Illustration  of 
the  divine  characteristics  displayed  by  means  of  the  obedient  suf- 
ferings of  Christ. — Various  exercises  in  view^  of  them  ; — and  in 
view  of  the  deformity  of  sin  ; — of  the  character  of  believers ; — 
and  of  the  conversion  of  sinners. — Present  and  former  principles 
and  exercises  contrasted. — Dependence  on  the  Holy  Spirit. — What 
exercises  not  selfish. — How  God  is  to  be  glorified  by  believers. — 
Obedience  to  the  precepts  of  the  law  necessary  as  the  rule  of  life. 
— Paraphrase  of  the  decalogue. — Explanation  of  the  principle  of 
the  second  table  of  the  moral  law. — Activity  in  cultivating  the 
graces  of  the  Spirit  indispensable. — Various  duties  suggested,     .     .  225 


CHAPTER     IX. 

ASSURANCE. 

How  a  sense  of  pardon  is  obtained  by  the  believer. — What  intended 
by  regeneration. — What,  by  conversion. — Self-denial,  its  nature 
and    necessity. — Commanded    in    the    Scriptures.— The   influence 


CONTENTS.  9 

PAGB. 

of  the  Spirit  in  producing  it. — How  it  is  effected  in  the  sinner. — 
Whether  it  is  wrong  for  him  to  despond. — Explanation  of  our 
Lord's  command  to  follow  him. — Conscience,  as  an  internal  influ- 
ence and  moral  guide. — The  new  Christian  principle  in  mental 
action. — The  production  of  the  new  disposition,  desires,  and  affec- 
tions.— What  constitutes  the  new  heart,  as  shown  by  the  Scriptures. 
— Explanation  of  Is.  55:  6 — 9,  and  Josh.  24 :  17 — 27. — Delineation 
of  Christian  principles  and  experiences. — The  attainment  of  assur- 
ance by  the  believer  practicable,  safe,  and  free  from  presimiption  ; — 
and  no  evidence  of  a  pretension  to  perfection,  or  of  a  want  of 
humihty. — Application  of  the  foregoing  principles  resulting  in 
assurance, 253 


CHAPTER     X. 

PSB8ZVXBANCS 

Due  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  and  reliance  on  the  Holy  Spirit, 
indispensable  to  perseverance  in  holiness. — In  what  the  Christian 
warfare  consists. — What  is  intended  by  obedience  to  God. — What, 
by  submission. — What,  by  evangelical  repentance. — What,  by 
evangelical  faith. — What,  by  sanctification. — Whether  believers  are 
bound  to  be  perfect  in  this  life. — How  they  can  be  saved,  although 
imperfect  here. — The  principles  on  which  the  believer  is  accepted 
by  virtue  of  the  atonement. — What  intended  by  the  imputation  of 
the  merits  of  Christ. — Whether  faith  takes  the  place  of  good  works 
as  a  meritorious  qualification  for  the  divine  reward. — What  is  in- 
tended by  the  doctrine  of  election. — What,  by  the  final  persever- 
ance of  believers. — Why  the  doctrine  is  rejected  by  some,   .     .     .  301 


CHAPTER     XI. 
fSRSSYZBAKOB. 

Whether  there  is  danger  of  anticipating  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit, 
by  our  own  devising  and  executing  measures  for  the  extension  of 
the  kingdom  of  Christ. — Suggestions  how  that  object  may  be  pro- 
moted.— The  providence  of  God  over  his  people. — How  to  elicit 
the  holy  affections  of  the  believer.— The  prayer  of  faith,  explained 


10  CONTENTS. 

PA8B. 

and  illustrated. — Duty  of  Christian  parents  in  respect  to  the  dedi- 
cation of  their  children  to  Christ,  and  in  their  religious  culture. — 
Variety,  according  to  the  effects  designed,  in  the  motives  presented 
in  the  Scriptures. — Whether  the  process  of  conversion  can  be 
understood  by  any. — Legal  religion,  defined. — The  religion  of  the 
gospel,  defined. — Paul's  conversion  from  legalism  to  Christianity. — 
Apostle's  directions  to  convicted  sinners  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. — 
To  the  jailer  at  Philippi. — Natural  religion,  defined • — The  veracity 
of  God  in  denouncing  punishment,  reconciled  with  his  pardoning 
the  penitent. — The  moral  immutability  of  God  explained,  and 
reconciled  with  his  change  of  feeling  and  purpose  toward  the 
penitent. — The  scriptural  accounts  of  the  repentances  of  God, 
explained. — Exposition  of  Rom.  9:  11 — 13. — Objection  to  the  suf- 
ficiency of  the  creative  right  of  God,  answered. — Conclusion,  .     .  352 


Coitliusiou; 

ITS   THEORY    AND    PROCESS, 

PRACTICALLY  DELINEATED. 

CHAPTER  I. 

ANALYSIS  OF  VARIOUS   RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCES. 


Pastor.  Will  you  please  communicate  to  me  your 
present  views  and  feelings  in  relation  to  your  religious 
prospects? 

Inquirer.  I  am  not  aware  of  possessing  any  very 
peculiar  feelings,  beyond  a  general_d§sire  to  secure  my 
salvation.  Some  years  ago  I  indulged  a  hope  of  pardon 
and  acceptance  in  Christ ;  but  my  subsequent  inconsistent 
feelings  and  conduct  have  almost  entirely  destroyed  my 
confidence  in  its  validity.  Whenever  I  attempt  to  revive 
it,  or  to  recall  the  evidences  on  which  it  was  founded,  I 
am  sure  to  be  disappointed;  and  when  I  endeavor  to 
abandon  that  hope,  and  seek  one  more  substantial  and 
permanent,  I  find  that  it  clings  to  my  heart  in  spite  of 
all  I  can  do,  making  me  merely  repeat  ejfforts  long  since 
tried,  and  leaving  me  in  the  same  state  in  which  I 
began. 


12  CONVERSION. 

P.  I  presume  that,  at  those  times,  you  strive  for  feel- 
ings whicli  you  find  yourself  unable  to  summon;  and 
that  you  search  for  some  evidences  of  acceptance  which 
you  cannot  acquire,  notwithstanding  all  your  prayers 
and  labors.  There  is  a  cloud  before  your  mind,  whose 
1  darkness  you  cannot  penetrate;  and  an  insensibility  of 
I  heart  to  be  overcome,  which  your  efforts  seem  only  to 
increase;  and  you  are  left  at  a  loss  what  to  do? 

/.  Such  are  precisely  the  difiiculties  with  which  I  have 
had  to  contend.  When  I  address  myself  to  the  duties 
of  religion,  I  find  that  I  do  not  know  how  to  begin  right^ 
and  cannot  discover  how  to  give  my  heart  to  God.  When 
I  reflect  that  my  former  hope  may  be  invalid,  the  appre- 
hension seizes  my  soul  that  I  may  be  eternally  lost  on 
account  of  this  ignorance.  This  is  dreadful ;  and  if  you 
will  extricate  me  from  this  danger,  you  shall  have  my 
best  thanks. 

P.  Under  the  guidance  and  blessing  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
to  whom  is  to  be  ascribed  all  the  power  and  praise,  I  will 
show  you  clearly  what  hindrances  lie  in  your  path,  and 
how  they  are  to  be  removed;  and  will  explain  what  your 
duty  is,  and  how  to  enter  upon  it.  In  order  to  accom- 
plish this,  however,  your  uninterrupted  attention  must 
be  devoted  to  the  subject,  and  you  must  determine  to 
follow  the  advice  hereafter  given  so  far  as  you  are 
convinced  of  its  propriety. 

/.  I  will  do  so  without  hesitation. 

P.  We  know  not  but  that  your  hope  may  be  valid; 
but  if  we  would  ascertain  its  true  character  beyond  a 
doubt,  recourse  must  be  had  to  the  period  when  it  was 
first  embraced.  We  are  required  to  examine  ourselves 
whether  we  are  in  the  faith  (2  Cor.  13  :  5);  and  to  ascer- 


ANALYSIS     OF     EXPERIENCES.  18 

tain  the  validity  of  our  hope  with  precision,  we  must  take 
a  retrospection  of  the  rise  or  inception  of  those  principles 
on  which  it  was  originally  founded,  when  they  stood 
alone,  or  uncombined  with  those  other  exercises  which 
tend  to  impair  a  clear  perception  of  them.  Such  an 
investigation,  if  carefully  conducted,  will  be  productive 
of  no  false  security,  and  will  be  entirely  safe.  Indeed, 
without  it,  it  is  doubtful  whether  you  can  abandon  your 
hope,  if  it  is  invalid.  You  are  well  aware  that  your 
mere  resolutions  to  dismiss  it,  are  of  no  account;  and 
that,  if  it  is  ill-founded,  it  must  be  rejected  before  you 
can  embrace  a  good  one.  And  by  means  of  such  a  scru- 
tiny alone  can  you  reach  a  certain  knowledge  that  it  is  a 
valid  one,  and  so  enjoy  the  comforts  of  an  assured  hope. 

/.  I  shall  be  pleased  to  observe  that  course;  but  must 
depend  on  you  to  propose  questions  upon  such  points 
as  are  necessary  to  be  inquired  into. 

P.  I  will  do  so.  In  pursuing  our  conversations,  we 
shall  first  investigate  your  early  exercises.  "We  will  next 
examine  the  great  principles  of  Christianity,  in  order  to 
ascertain  what  God  would  have  us  become.  We  will 
next  develop  those  characteristics  of  the  natural  heart 
which  he  requires  us  to  abandon.  Then,  by  comparing 
your  own  exercises  with  these  principles  and  character- 
istics, you  can  decide  with  entire  certainty  upon  their 
character  before  God.  The  mind  will  then  be  in  a  posi- 
tion to  perceive  and  to  remove  the  various  obstacles  to 
your  progress;  and  the  precise  point  of  your  duty  in 
turning  to  God  will  become  intelligible.  Afterwards, 
many  subjects  of  importance  to  the  well-being  of  the 
soul,  will  come  up  for  our  investigation. 

L  Your  proposed  course  is  highly  reasonable  and  sat- 


14  CONVEESION. 

isfactory.  But  can  I  depend  upon  my  recollections?  My 
heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things. 

P.  The  deceitfulness  of  the  heart  does  not  interfere 
with  our  memory  of  past  events.  It  consists  in  a  dis- 
position to  believe  every  thing  we  deem  good  for  our- 
selves, and  to  disbelieve  in  whatever  we  do  not  like. 
It  is  seen  also  in  that  infatuation  which,  under  a  hope 
of  impunity,  drives  men  along  in  sin,  against  the  dic- 
tates of  their  conscience  and  the  threatenings  of  God. 
Against  these  you  should  guard. 

Z  I  am  anxious  to  proceed. 

P.  I  presume  that  you  always  respected  religion,  and 
desired  to  embrace  it  before  you  died? 

/.  Certainly.  When  I  was  a  mere  child,  I  was  accus- 
tomed to  pray,  read  my  Bible,  and  do  many  other  things 
in  order  to  please  God,  and  have  him  love  me. 

P.  Why  did  you  wisli  to  have  him  love  you? 

I.  Because  then  he  would  pardon  my  sins  and  receive 
me  into  everlasting  peace. 

P.  I  suppose  you  always  understood  and  regarded 
religion  as  designed  for  your  good? 

/.  Yes. 

P.  As  you  grew  older,  did  you  become  convinced 
that  you  was  a  sinner,  and  that  it  would  be  right  and 
just  in  God  to  cast  you  off  for  ever? 

/.  I  did.  And  such  convictions  of  conscience  pro- 
duced remorse,  and  deepened  my  desires  to  obtain  relief 
by  embracing  a  hope  of  salvation. 

P.  You  knew  that  God  had  a  right  to  claim  your 
love  and  service,  and  the  consciousness  that  you  did 
not  render  them  produced  such  fears  and  anxieties? 

/.  Yes. 


ANALYSIS    OF    EXPERIENCES.  15 

P.  During  the  various  times  when  you  were  thus  par- 
tially awakened,  what  did  you  attempt  in  order  to 
become  a  Christian? 

/.  I  tried  to  secure  a  hope. 

P.  How  did  you  expect  to  succeed? 

/.  By  obtaining  some  new  feelings  or  change  of  / 
heart,  which  would  be  an  evidence  of  my  pardon  and}/ 
acceptance. 

P.  In  order  to  which,  you  endeavored  to  please  God ; 
by  reforming  your  conduct,  and  by  prayer  and  the  usejij 
of  all  the  means  which  appeared  to  have  been  successful/ 
in  other  cases? 

I.  Yes.  I  made  many  mental  efforts  to  feel  and  act 
right. 

P.  Why  did  you  desire  salvation? 

I.  For  the  same  reason  that  all  mankind  desire  it — to 
be  delivered  from  perdition,  and  to  enjoy  eternal  peace. 

P.  Did  you  not,  at  times,  desire  to  be  delivered  from  ^ 
sin,  because  it  was  indispensable  to  a  good  hope? 

I.  Yes;  I  always  knew  it  was  indispensable. 

P.  We  will  use  the  term  salvation  in  this  sense  for 
the  present ;  as  indeed  we  must,  if  we  would  comprehend 
one  another,  since  it  is  the  only  one  in  which  the 
impenitent  understand  it.  Did  you  not  often  intermit 
your  efforts? 

I.  Yes.  Either  I  would  become  satisfied  prematurely, 
or  would  fail  in  effecting  a  change.  I  believed  Christ 
was  willing,  but  could  not  find  the  right  way  to  go  to 
him;  and  then  would  suspend  my  endeavors  until  a 
more  favorable'  opportunity.  After  indulging  for  a 
season  in  worldliness  and  sin,  my  desires  for  salvation 
would  revive. 


16  CONVERSION. 

P.  You  mentioned  that  you  had  once  indulged  a 
hope  in  Christ.     Was  it  at  an  early  age? 

I.  Yes.  Circumstances,  not  necessary  to  be  detailed, 
revived  my  desires.  The  more  I  reflected,  the  deeper 
were  my  anxieties  to  get  religion;  while  the  more  I 
endeavored  to  love  God,  the  more  insensible  to  his  good- 
ness and  holiness  my  feelings  became.  I  feared  it  would 
prove  to  be  the  last  offer  of  grace,  and  I  became  willing 
to  renounce  the  world  and  every  thing  else  that  hin- 
dered my  salvation,  and  determined  never  to  give  up 
seeking  religion. 

P,  Did  you  not  become  again  discouraged,  and  sus- 
pend those  efforts  for  the  time  being? 

/.  No.  I  had  many  fears,  but  was  persuaded  there 
was  some  right  way  to  be  saved;  and  I  persevered  until 
I  found  it,  as  I  then  hoped. 

P.  What  resolution  did  you  at  last  form  relative  to 
serving  God? 

I.  Having  tried  every  other  way  in  vain,  I  finally  con- 
cluded that,  whether  my  evidences  came  immediately  or 
gradually,  I  would  obey  the  Lord  in  the  best  way  I  could. 

P.  Did  you  hope,  at  the  time,  that  you  might  be 
accepted  and  pardoned  for  Christ's  sake  ? 

I.  I  did.  I  hoped  it  would  prove  the  right  way,  pro- 
vided I  should  persevere  in  it.  It  would  have  been  very 
irrational  to  take  any  course  which  I  had  good  reason  to 
believe  would  result  in  no  benefit. 

P.  Previous  to  this  resolution  you  had  not  possessed 
love  to  God? 

/.  Certainly  not;  for  if  I  had,  I  should  have  enjoyed 
a  hope  of  pardon  before  then. 

P,  It  was  your  desire  to  secure  your  future  safety 


ANALYSIS    OF    EXPERIENCES.  17 

and  peace,  or  your  salvation,  that  made  you  form  that 
resolution? 

/.  Yes.  I  also  thought  it  would  be  right,  and  re- 
solved to  serve  the  Lord,  come  what  might. 

P.  That  is,  you  hnew^  as  always  before,  that  it  was  the 
right  of  God  to  claim  your  service  and  love,  and  that 
it  was  your  duty  to  render  them ;  but  you  was  induced 
to  form  that  resolution,  by  the  desire  to  secure  your  sal- 
vation, and  also  by  the  desire  to  take  that  step  as  the 
right  way  to  please  God  and  efifect  it. 

/.  Yes,  that  explains  it  precisely.  Still,  I  did  not 
expect  salvation  by  my  own  strength,  but  only  through 
the  mercy  of  Christ.  I  think  that,  before,  I  depended  too 
much  on  my  own  efforts  to  become  good ;  but  then  I 
depended  altogether  on  Christ  for  pardon  and  acceptance. 

P.  Immediately  on  forming  that  resolution,  did  you 
feel  relieved  from  your  load  of  anxiety,  and  become  calm 
and  composed  under  the  hope  that  you  had  at  last  taken 
the  right  way  to  be  accepted,  and  that  you  might  be 
enabled  to  persevere  in  it? 

/.  I  did. 

P.  Was  not  this  a  new  state  of  feeling,  and  did  it  not 
encourage  you  to  believe  that  you  had  already  succeeded, 
in  some  measure,  in  getting  an  evidence  of  acceptance? 

I.  Yes.  And  my  feelings  increased  to  much  pleasure, 
at  the  joyful  thought. 

P,  And  was  not  this  pleasure  so  new  and  eventually 
so  strong,  as  to  induce  the  full  belief  that  you  had  suc- 
ceeded, and  that  the  Spirit  had  given  these  feelings  as  a 
witness  of  your  pardon,  and  acceptance,  and  title  to  hope 
in  Christ;  and  did  you  not  then  hope  in  him  for  pardon 
and  happiness? 
2* 


18  CONVERSION. 

/.  Such  were  precisely  my  views  and  feelings.  After 
some  hesitation,  lest  my  good  prospects  might  prove  decep- 
tive, I  could  no  longer  resist  the  force  of  such  evidences, 
but  embraced  a  hope  in  the  pardoning  mercy  of  Christ. 

P.  And  did  you  not  then  exercise  much  pleasure  and 
gratitude  toward  Christ  for  his  friendship  and  goodness? 

/.  I  did,  and  it  confirmed  my  hope  in  him.  And  then 
a  view  of  his  kindness  in  dying  for  me,  and  in  preserving 
me  so  long  while  his  enemy,  in  pardoning  and  loving 
me,  and  of  the  secret  pleasure  I  took  in  him  therefor, 
and  the  knowledge  that  I  must  endure  to  the  end  to  be 
saved,  made  me  renew  the  resolution  to  serve  him  the 
remainder  of  my  days ;  and  it  seemed  a  pleasure  to  do  so. 

P.  Did  you  feel  willing  to  leave  yourself  in  the  hands 
of  God,  to  be  at  his  disposal? 

/.  Yes.  Always  before  God  out  of  Christ  had  been 
a  consuming  fire,  and  I  feared  to  be  in  his  hands  because 
I  knew  he  would  punish  me.  But  now  I  felt  that  he 
was  reconciled,  and  I  could  safely  leave  myself  at  his 
disposal,  hoping  for  his  favor  only  through  Christ.  Still, 
the  Saviour  was  in  all  my  thoughts. 

P.  Although  your  thoughts,  and  consequently  your 
affections,  were  thus  chiefly  on  him,  I  suppose  you  still 
approved  of  the  strict  holiness  and  rigid  justice  of  the 
Father,  even  though  you  hoped  to  escape  from  their  sleiii 
demands  by  means  of  Christ;  while  your  hve  was  called 
forth  toward  Christ  for  his  matchless  goodness  and  grace? 

/.  Yes;  and  I  could  take  pleasure  in  the  Father  for 
the  gift  of  such  a  precious  Saviour. 

P.  After  indulging  these  feelings,  did  not  a  view  of 
your  past  sins  produce  sorrow  and  regret  that  you  had 
been  so  ungrateful  to  Christ? 


ANALYSIS     OF   EXPERIENCES.  19 

/.  I  felt  that  my  conduct  had  been  so  unkind  and 
angrateful,  that  I  could  hardly  forgive  myself  the  wrong 
they  had  done  my  Saviour. 

P.  Your  feelings  being  chiefly  attracted  toward  Christ 
as  a  Saviour,  I  suppose  you  had  not  acquired  those 
exercises  toward  a  God  of  holiness  and  justice  which  Job 
describes:  "Wherefore  I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in 
dust  and  ashes."  That  is,  while  you  disapproved  of  sin 
against  the  Father,  you  did  not  then  condemn  yourself 
to  a  deserved  perdition  as  justly  exposed  to  his  justice, 
nor  loathe  and  abhor  yourself  on  account  of  your  moral 
deformity  and  as  fitted  only  for  destruction,  nor  hate  your- 
self as  too  vile  to  hope  and  too  odious  to  be  accepted? 

I.  While  I  felt  self-condemned  for  my  past  course  of 
ungrateful  conduct,  it  was  with  hope  in  Christ,  and 
pleasure  in  his  goodness  and  mercy.  Of  course,  with 
such  pleasant  feelings,  I  could  not  entertain  those  you 
have  described ;  nor  have  I  supposed  that  new  converts 
ever  indulge  in  such  gloomy  views  as  Job  expresses. 

P.  You  knew  that  sin  was  forbidden ;  but  did  not  your 
anxiety  to  preserve  those  evidences  of  acceptance,  and  to 
avoid  displeasing  God,  and  forfeiting  his  favor  and  your 
salvation,  as  well  as  a  sense  of  its  ingratitude,  induce  you 
to  resolve  to  avoid  sin  thereafter? 

/.  Yes ;  and  it  was  then  a  positive  pleasure  to  do  any 
thing  which  appeared  to  be  necessary  to  sustain  my  hope 
in  the  mercy  of  Christ. 

P.  Did  you  not,  at  first,  take  pleasure  in  converts  and 
older  Christians  because  of  their  amiable  dispositions, 
engaging  manners,  congeniality  of  feeling  and  pursuits, 
friendly  interest  in  your  welfare,  as  well  as  from  their 
being  the  friends  of  Christ,  bound  to  the  same  heaven  as 


20  CONVERSION. 

yourself,  and  whose  example,  conversation  and  prayer? 
encouraged  you  to  hope  and  persevere  in  the  ways  of 
salvation  ? 

/.  Yes;  such  considerations  made  me  strongly  at 
tached  to  some  particular  individuals. 

P.  As  you  became  more  familiar  with  religious  feel- 
ings, did  not  the  strictness  and  rigid  principles  and 
conduct  of  some  older  Christians  become  somewhat 
repulsive  ? 

I.  I  found  so  little  to  sympathize  with  in  some  of 
them,  that  their  society  afforded  me  little  or  no  pleasure, 
to  say  the  least ;  and  this  made  me  prize  those  more 
with  whom  I  could  have  feelings  in  common. 

P.  Did  you  not,  at  first,  feel  a  strong  interest  for  the 
conversion  of  your  friends  and  others? 

I.  I  desired  their  salvation  from  eternal  misery  above 
every  other  thing  which  they  could  attain;  and  on  this 
account,  as  well  as  to  continue  in  the  line  of  duty  myself, 
I  tried  to  influence  some  of  them  to  secure  a  hope  of 
eternal  life.  My  own  pleasure  in  the  hope  of  pardon, 
naturally  led  me  to  desire  the  same  for  them;  my  own 
deliverance  induced  me  to  sympathize  with  their  deplor- 
able state  and  prospects ;  and  I  also  disapproved  of  their 
ingratitude  to  their  heavenly  Benefactor. 

P.  Did  you  not  take  much  satisfaction  in  secret  and 
social  prayer,  when  your  hope  was  strong  and  your 
prospects  bright?  Did  you  not  then  enjoy  it,  because  it 
was  the  medium  of  expressing  and  indulging  your  pleas- 
ure in  the  mercy  of  Christ,  and  of  seeking  those  spiritual 
aids  by  which  your  evidences  were  to  be  preserved,  and 
your  eternal  safety  and  peace  insured? 

I.  Yes ;  you  have  described  my  feelings  correctly. 


ANALYSIS    OF    EXPERIENCES.  21 

P.  Did  you  not,  at  such  times,  take  pleasure  in  reading 
the  Scriptures,  in  order  to  obtain  the  information  neces- 
sary to  make  your  salvation  sure  ?  and  did  you  not  love 
to  search  out  and  apply  to  yourself  the  precious  promises 
which  they  contained? 

/.  Yes;  in  connection  with  the  general  information  it 
furnished,  such  were  the  sources  of  my  enjoyment  in 
perusing  the  word  of  God. 

P.  Did  you  not  then  pursue  the  duty  of  self-examin- 
ation, in  order  to  ascertain  your  present  evidences,  to 
revive  those  which  had  drooped,  and  to  secure  others? 
When  these  were  satisfactory,  your  pleasure  in  the  duty 
was  the  greatest ;  but  when,  for  any  reason,  they  were  the 
reverse,  it  afforded  you  no  enjoyment? 

L  Yes ;  it  seemed  an  indispensable  duty  in  order  to 
preserve  my  evidences,  and  I  therefore  observed  it  for  a 
while. 

P.  Did  you  not  also  aid  in  promoting  the  various 
objects  of  benevolence  in  which  Christians  were  engaged, 
and  in  sustaining  and  extending  the  influence  of  the 
gospel? 

I.  Of  course.  It  was  reputable  and  praiseworthy  to 
engage  in  such  objects;  it  gratified  my  sympathies  for 
the  welfare  of  others,  and  it  seemed  a  duty  to  Christ,  not 
to  be  dispensed  with,  if  I  would  persevere  and  be  saved. 

P.  Did  you  contemplate,  at  that  time,  making  a  public 
profession  of  religion  by  uniting  with  the  Church  ? 

I.  I  wished  to  do  so,  but  was  afraid.  My  friends 
urged  it  as  a  duty,  if  I  would  preserve  the  favor  of  Christ; 
but  a  secret  reluctance  to  such  a  committal  induced  me 
to  postpone  it,  until  my  feelings  had  so  much  abated, 
that  I  not  only  lost  the  desire  to  make  a  profession  of 


22  CONVERSION. 

religion,  but  was  glad  that  I  had  not  so  pledged  my- 
self. I  have  since,  however,  very  much  regretted  the 
omission,  under  the  belief  that  a  public  acknowledgment 
of  Christ  would  have  withheld  my  steps  from  backslid- 
ing, and  relieved  me  from  many  subsequent  troubles. 

P,  Did  your  evidences  eventually  decline? 

/.  They  did,  almost  entirely.  For  some  time  after  I 
embraced  that  hope,  I  felt  quite  happy  in  my  glorious 
prospects,  and  in  my  Saviour.  At  times,  doubts  of  my 
acceptance  would  occur ;  but  I  was  enabled  to  recall  and 
deepen  my  evidences,  and  then  all  would  be  pleasant 
again.  After  some  months,  however,  I  lost  my  joys  in 
religion ;  and  the  world,  with  its  pleasures  and  pursuits, 
became  far  too  attractive  and  engrossing. 

P.  I  suppose  that,  as  the  subject  lost  its  freshness  and 
power  by  familiarity,  you  became  less  careful  to  preserve 
those  evidences,  and  less  watchful  over  your  thoughts, 
feelings,  and  deportment;  temporal  affairs  gradually 
usurped  a  prominent  place  in  your  mind;  business  in- 
fringed more  and  more  upon  your  private  and  public 
duties;  conscience  made  you  uneasy  by  its  reproofs; 
and  fears  took  the  place  of  pleasure,  when  you  thought 
of  your  salvation.  When  you  resorted  to  your  closet, 
it  was  more  to  quiet  conscience  and  to  allay  those  fears, 
than  to  enjoy  your  first  love;  your  purposes,  there 
renewed,  failed  to  renew  your  hope  with  its  evidences; 
until  these  duties  seemed  to  have  lost  their  efficacy,  and 
they  became  therefore  unattractive,  and  sometimes  tedi- 
ous, and  were  performed  more  seldom  than  before. 

L  Alas,  it  was  very  much  as  you  describe.  By  my 
wickedness  and  neglect,  my  evidences  were  mostly  lost. 
I  had  expected  to  have  "no  more  conscience  of  sin,"  but 


ANALYSIS     OF     EXPERIENCES.  23 

I  became  so  self-condemned,  that  it  seemed  of  little  use  to 
make  further  efforts  at  that  time.  Finally,  I  came  to 
resume  my  former  worldly  feelings  in  a  great  degree,  and 
to  neglect  many  duties  which,  I  was  well  aware,  were 
incumbent  on  me.  I  was  a  sadder  man  at  times,  if  not  a 
wiser. 

P.  When  your  hope  thus  failed,  your  religious  pleas- 
ures vanished  with  it;  just  as  they  were  excited  and  were 
high,  when  your  hope  existed  and  was  bright?  From 
which  you  can  perceive  that  your  religious  feelings 
proceeded  entirely  from  your  hope. 

/.  Of  course  they  did;  and  I  lost  them  when  it  faded 
away. 

P.  While  you  were  in  this  hopeless  state,  did  you  feel 
willing  to  be  in  the  hands  and  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Father? 

/.  Of  course  not,  for  I  could  not  then  go  to  him  with 
a  hope  in  Christ.  To  have  gone  any  other  way,  would 
be  to  meet  the  very  destructidn  I  wished  to  avoid. 

P.  Having  failed  to  find  that  continued  enjoyment  in 
religion  which  you  anticipated,  you  have  since  endeav- 
ored to  derive  pleasure  from  the  world  and  its  pursuits  ? 

/.  Such  has  been  far  too  much  the  case.  I  have  made 
many  efforts  since  to  go  to  Christ  in  a  right  way,  and  to 
do  my  first  work  over  again ;  but  have  never  been  favored 
with  such  decided  evidences  as  I  at  first  received. 

P.  Have  you,  at  any  time  since,  entirely  abandoned 
that  hope? 

/.  No,  not  entirely.  The  recollection  that  I  once 
possessed  such  new  and  happy  feelings,  about  which  I 
cannot  be  mistaken,  has  always  afforded  n^e  some  conso- 
lation and  encouragement  in  the  greatest  extremities. 


24  CONVERSION. 

If,  as  I  suppose,  they  were  the  gift  of  tlie  Spirit,  I  must 
have  been  converted  then;  but  my  subsequent  conduct 
contradicts  the  fact;  sq  that  I  am  encouraged,  or  dis- 
couraged, as  I  contemplate  the  one  or  the  other. 

P.  Have  you  since  enjoyed  any  partial  return  of  those 
evidences? 

/.  My  desire  of  salvation  has  been  as  strong  as  ever, 
though  dormant  at  times.  On  occasions  of  peculiar  reli- 
gious interest  in  the  community,  I  have  been  aroused  to 
seek  my  future  peace,  have  renewed  my  efforts,  and  have 
regained  some  of  those  former  exercises,  though  not  in 
such  power  and  freshness.  But  after  a  while  they  would 
die  away  again,  and  leave  me  more  miserable  than 
before.     I  am  almost  discouraged. 

P.  Is  it  still,  when  you  deliberately  contemplate  the 
subject,  your  strongest  desire  to  secure  your  eternal 
safety  and  peace  ? 

/.  Yes,  in  the  proper  way.  It  is  the  chief  anxiety  of 
my  heart;  for  "What  is  a  man  profited  if  he  shall  gain 
the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul?  or  what  shall  a 
man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul?" 

P,  For  the  sake  of  further  information,  I  will  now 
delineate  the  modes  adopted  by  several  other  classes  of 
persons  to  accomplish  the  same  object.  You  will  observe 
that  while  all  agree  with  you  in  pursuing  their  future 
safety  and  peace  as  the  ultimate  object  of  their  desires, 
and  while  all  acquire  a  hope  thereof,  with  its  pleasures 
and  other  results,  as  has  been  detailed  in  your  own 
experience,  each  adopts  different  means  therefor.  A 
very  short  description,  just  sufficient  to  enable  you 
to  compare  your  experience  with  theirs,  if  it  is  not 
already  fully  perceived,  must  suffice ;   and  we  will  not 


ANALYSIS    OF    EXPERIENCES.  25 

now  pause  either  to  approve  or  to  condemn  any  of  the 
courses  specified. 

A.J  in  dwelling  upon  his  condition  and  prospects,  feels 
much  alarm,  and  becomes  convinced  that  he  has  greatly 
sinned  against  God ;  and  his  anxiety  to  secure  his  salva- 
tion grows  more  and  more  strong.  These  feelings  he 
regards  as  those  which  the  Spirit  gives,  to  be  cultivated 
until  they  ripen  into  full  evidences  of  his  acceptance. 
With  a  view  to  his  securing  a  hope  of  eternal  safety  and 
peace,  he  endeavors  to  deepen  his  desires  by  reflecting 
upon  the  pains  of  perdition,  and  to  generate  love  to 
Christ  by  dwelling  upon  his  past  goodness  and  his 
present  willingness  to  save  him,  if  he  goes  to  him  in  the 
right  way.  He  determines,  perhaps,  to  mortify  his  pride 
and  humble  himself  before  God,  by  acknowledging  that 
he  is  a  self-ruined  sinner,  unable  in  his  own  strength  to 
secure  salvation,  and  that  he  is  therefore  unmeritorious 
of  his  favor.  In  order  the  more  effectually  to  accomplish 
his  purpose,  he  endeavors  to  cleanse  his  heart,  to  relin- 
quish every  outward  sin,  to  engage  in  whatever  duties 
may  seem  suitable  to  aid  him  in  his  object,  and  to  imitate 
the  example  of  those  who  had  previously  succeeded. 
Perhaps  he  resorts  to  meetings  for  prayer,  presents  him- 
self as  an  inquirer  after  salvation,  and  mingles  with  those 
who  are  made  the  subjects  of  special  prayer.  He  be- 
comes more  encouraged  as  he  proceeds,  until,  aware  of 
the  right  of  God  to  dispose  of  him  as  he  will,  he  consid- 
ers that  he  can  now  go  to  him  sincerely  and  safely ;  and, 
placing  his  hope  on  Christ  for  acceptance,  he  resolves  to 
give  himself  up  to  God.  In  the  belief  that  he  has  now 
gone  to  him  in  the  right  way,  he  feels  relieved  and 
pleased.  Having  now  attained  the  relief  he  so  much 
3 


26  CONVERSION. 

desired,  and  his  other  feehngs  being  so  new  and  pleasant, 
he  believes  that  these  are  the  evidences  needed,  and  is 
encouraged  to  hope  that  he  has  been  accepted  hj  Christ. 
He  thinks  he  is  now  converted,  and  has  obtained  religion 
and  rejoices  in  a  hope  of  eternal  safety  and  peace. 

B.  is  suffering  under  adverse  fortunes,  the  loss  of 
friends,  or  other  afflictions,  or  is  becoming  aged,  so  that 
the  world  is  losing  its  attractiveness.  He  realizes  the 
value  of  eternal  happiness  in  some  degree,  and  contrasts 
the  "pleasures  which  are  for  evermore"  with  the  fleeting 
and  frivolous  enjoyments  of  time,  and  determines  to  for- 
sake the  latter  for  the  former ;  or,  as  he  would  express  it, 
to  give  up  all  for  Christ,  through  whom  alone  he  can 
hope  to  receive  pardon  and  peace.  In  the  belief  that  he 
has  now  complied  with  the  duty  required,  he  hopes  in 
Christ,  and  rejoices  in  his  happy  prospects. 

C.  believes  that  Christ  died  in  a  special  sense  for  the 
elect,  and  that,  if  his  sins  were  punished  in  him,  his  own 
salvation  will  be  sure ;  and  he  also  considers  that  faith 
in  him  consists  in  simply  believing,  on  the  mere  assertion 
of  the  fact,  that  Christ  died  for  him  in  particular,  and 
that  he  is  able  and  willing  to  save  him.  With  a  view 
to  secure  his  salvation,  and  under  pungent  feelings 
of  conviction,  perhaps,  he  believes  that  his  sins  were 
punished  in  Christ,  and  that  he  will  save  him.  This 
conclusion  produces  relief;  and  his  expectations  being 
thus  far  answered,  he  feels  more  encouraged  and  per- 
suaded that  he  is  accepted  in  Christ.  This,  in  its  turn, 
produces  new  and  happy  feelings,  which  he  receives  as 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  He  consequently  becomes 
more  confirmed  in  the  belief  that  he  is  one  of  the  elect , 
and  joy  in  Christ  fills  his  heart.     The  desire  to  render 


ANALYSIS    OF    EXPERIENCES.  27 

his  salvation  sure  by  persevering  to  the  end,  and  the 
pleasure  the  confidence  of  doing  so  will  afibrd  him,  in- 
duce him  to  resolve  to  obey  Christ  thereafter;  and  he 
rejoices  in  a  Saviour  found. 

D.  is  disposed  toward  the  Campbelite  views  of  religion. 
He  considers  that,  in  order  to  secure  his  future  safety 
and  peace,  he  should  believe  the  gospel,  as  he  would 
believe  any  historical  facts ;  that  on  making  a  profession 
of  such  belief,  he  should  be  baptized,  which  he  thinks  is 
equivalent  to  the  regeneration  required  in  the  Scrip- 
tures; that,  on  being  so  baptized,  he  will  receive  remission 
of  sins  and  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  that,  as  a  consequence 
of  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  he  will  have  a  pure  heart  and  a 
good  conscience.  With  a  view  to  a  l^pe  of  salvation, 
he  complies  with  these  opinions;  and  in  the  confident 
belief  that  he  has  reached  an  acceptable  state,  indulges  a 
hope  of  pardon  in  Christ.  The  pleasures  produced  by 
this  hope,  being  so  new  and  delightful,  confirm  him  in 
his  confidence;  and  he  rejoices  in  his  happy  prospects, 
determining  to  obey  Christ,  in  order  that  he  may  en- 
dure to  the  end  and  be  saved. 

E.^  while  searching  for  the  way  of  salvation,  considers 
that  Christ  loves  and  is  favorably  disposed  toward  him, 
while  he  hates  and  condemns  his  sins;  and  this  encour- 
ages him  to  resolve  to  obey  him,  in  order  to  secure  the 
blessings  of  his  favor.  Or  perhaps  he  considers  that 
Christ  is  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life;  that  he  has 
become  so  for  him ;  and  that  he  should  believe  and  enjoy 
it.  These  thoughts  produce  a  secret  pleasure  in  the 
goodness  of  Christ  in  first  loving  him  thus,  and  in  provid- 
ing for  his  salvation ;  which  being  perceived,  he  becomes 
confident  of  already  loving  Christ  in  return,  and  hopes 


28  CONVEESION. 

in  his  pardoning  mercy.  In  order  to  perseverance,  he 
resolves  to  obey  Christ,  and  to  devote  himself  to  the 
promotion  of  the  greatest  possible  happiness  of  his  fellow - 
creatures,  in  the  expectation  that  he  will  thereby  most 
effectually  advance  his  own. 

F.  adopts  exalted  views  of  the  dignity  of  human 
nature,  and  believes  that  by  its  due  cultivation  his  eternal 
salvation  can  be  secured.  Eej acting  the  main  doctrines 
of  the  evangelical  faith,  and  setting  aside  those  scrip- 
tures which  condemn  his  views,  he  cultivates  elevated 
sentiments  of  the  majesty,  power,  and  benevolence  of 
Grod;  dwells  upon  the  duties  of  natural  benevolence, 
patriotism,  and  philanthropy;  and  insists  upon  due  hon- 
esty and  morality.  As  he  endeavors  to  make  himself 
sincere  on  these  points,  he  acquires  some  confidence  that 
he  will  hereafter  escape  the  miseries  which  he  is  hardly 
conscious  of  deserving. 

G.  is  a  believer  in  the  Scriptures,  but  considers  that 
the  work  of  grace  in  the  soul  is  quite  gradual;  and,  in 
laboring  to  secure  a  good  hope  of  his  eternal  safety  and 
peace,  relies  upon  the  peculiar  means  with  which  he 
thinks  himself  favored,  especially  in  the  authorized  ad- 
ministration of  them  by  persons  whom  he  regards  as  the 
direct  successors  of  the  apostles.  He  endeavors  to  exer- 
cise sorrow  for  past  sins;  receives  baptism  at  such  sup- 
posed authorized  hands,  wherein  he  believes  that  he 
obtains  the  influences  of  the  Spirit  to  enable  him  to 
work  out  his  salvation,  to  secure  the  remission  of  sins, 
the  favor  of  Grod,  and  everlasting  life,  and  that  conse- 
quently some  spiritually  regenerating  grace  is  conveyed, 
and  some  saving  effects  are  produced  by  that  ordinance. 
Or,  perhaps  he  receives  it  as  a  spiritually  regenerating 


ANALYSIS    OF    EXPERIENCES.  29 

ordinance.  But  whatever  may  be  his  views  relative  to 
the  spiritual  effects  of  such  baptism,  he  becomes  thereby 
encouraged  to  hope  more  strongly  in  Christ  for  pardon 
and  acceptance;  and  this  produces  more  or  less  pleasure 
according  to  his  degree  of  interest  in  his  own  eternal 
welfare,  which  is  received  as  evidence  of  the  new  heart. 
In  order  more  effectually  to  promote  which,  he  purposes 
to  obey  the  Lord,  trust  in  Christ  for  safety  and  peace, 
and  observe  the  authority  and  rites  of  his  church.  Ac- 
cordingly, at  the  proper  time,  he  receives  confirmation  at 
the  hands  of  his  diocesan,  publicly  assuming  his  previous 
engagements  made  in  baptism,  partakes  of  the  eucharist, 
and  grows  in  his  attachment  to  his  church,  which  very 
much  determines,  in  his  view,  his  right  to  an  interest 
in  Christ. 

H.  has  been  educated  in  the  belief  of  the  Eoman  sect, 
lie  believes  in  a  purgatory  after  death,  and  in  an  eternal 
perdition;  and  his  chief  desire  is  to  alleviate  and  shorten 
the  pains  of  the  former,  to  escape  the  latter,  and  to  secure 
his  eternal  peace.  In  order  to  this,  he  implicitly  receives 
whatever  the  priests  choose  to  teach,  and  embraces  a 
system  of  outward  forms  and  ceremonies.  He  receives 
baptism  and  confirmation;  confesses  to  the  priest,  and 
does  penance;  attends  mass;  trusts  partly  to  his  own 
supposed  merits,  partly  to  those  of  the  Virgin  Mary  and 
the  so-called  saints,  and  partly  on  Christ,  for  acceptance ; 
and  he  makes  his  relation  to  Christ  dependant  on  his 
relation  to  his  church,  and  measures  the  degree  of  his 
piety  by  his  attachment  to  such  church.  His  is  pecu- 
liarly a  religion  of  fear ;  for  fear  is  the  inducement  to  his 
observances,  fear  destroys  almost  all  the  comfort  he  might 
take  in  his  delusion,  and  fear  closes  the  scene  at  death. 
8* 


80  CONVERSION. 

/.  is  a  believer  in  the  necessity  of  spiritual  regenera- 
tion. When  under  deep  distress  and  fear  in  reflecting 
upon  his  lost  state,  and  with  a  view  to  secure  an  evi- 
dence and  hope  of  future  safety  and  peace,  he  Aveeps 
profusely ;  this,  he  is  encouraged  to  think,  is  an  evidence 
of  his  penitence,  and  he  looks  for  a  develapment  of  the 
'pow&i'  of  the  Spirit  in  his  heart  as  a  witness  of  his  being 
born  again,  and  of  his  title  to  a  pardon.  He  is  comforted 
by  believing  that  he  is  seeking  Jesus  sorrowing.  If  he 
goes  forward  to  the  altar  for  prayers,  he  examines 
whether  he  does  not  feel  a  little  different;  or  he  is  encour- 
aged by  others  to  say  that  he  does,  in  the  expectation 
that  it  will  produce  new  feelings  or  evidences;  and  if  he 
discovers  any  calmness  or  other  unusual  state  of  mind, 
he  instantly  concludes  that  it  is  the  desired  witness,  and 
hopes  and  rejoices  in  Christ.  Perhaps  he  resorts  to  the 
Bible,  as  to  a  lottery,  to  decide  upon  his  prospects;  .and 
if  he  opens  upon  some  comforting  passage — such  as  "thy 
faith  hath  saved  thee,  go  in  peace," — he  receives  it  as  a 
divine  message  to  himself,  and  rejoices  in  hope — the 
pleasures  of  which  confirm  his  belief  in  his  pardon  and 
acceptance.  Perhaps,  in  his  nervous  excitement,  he 
thinks  that  he  can  see  Christ  hanging  in  person  on  the 
cross,  covered  with  blood  shed  for  him^  or  that  he  hears 
comforting  words  from  his  lips,  which  are  received  as 
tokens  of  his  acceptance,  and  he  rejoices  accordingly. 
Perhaps  he  sees,  in  imagination,  the  rainbow  of  promise 
stretching  over  the  heavens,  or  lights  glowing  with  great 
beauty,  or  an  ocean  of  blood  prepared  to  wash  away  his 
sins ;  or  hears  angelic  beings  assuring  him  of  pardon,  and 
welcoming  him  to  heaven.  By  such  supposed  evidences 
his  anxiety  is   dispelled,  and  a  hope  of  salvation  is 


ANALYSIS    OF    EXPERIENCES.  81 

infused  in  his  soul,  and  he  trusts  in  Christ  for  future 
safety  and  peace ;  purposing  a  strict  obedience  to  him,  in 
order  to  make  his  salvation  sure. 

/.  I  thank  you  for  these  delineations  of  the  secret 
workings  of  the  human  mind.     They  will  prove  useful. 

P.  I  have  now  finished  the  inquiries  and  observations 
which  I  wished  to  make  on  this  part  of  our  subject; 
and  we  will  proceed  to  the  topic  which  was  suggested  as 
important  to  be  next  examined. 


CHAPTER  II. 


ELEMENTS  OF  MORAL  CHARACTER  IN  GENERAL, 


Pastor.  We  will  now  proceed  to  an  examination  of 
those  fundamental  principles  of  the  Christian  religion 
which  are  necessary  to  onr  understanding  what  Christ 
would  have  us  become ;  and  in  doing  so,  while  we  are 
free  to  employ  our  reasoning  powers,  we  must  hold  our 
conclusions  in  strict  subordination  to  revelation,  and 
must  implicitly  defer  to  God  as  the  only  authoritative 
expositor  of  his  own  will  and  principles.  Should  a 
young  man  for  whom  you  felt  a  profound  regard  ask 
your  advice,  as  he  was  about  to  launch  out  upon  the 
busy  sea  of  life,  whether  he  ought  always,  and  under  all 
trials  to  which  it  might  expose  him,  to  maintain  a  strict 
integrity  of  character  in  his  intercourse  with  mankind, 
what  would  be  your  counsel  ? 

Inquirer.  Always  to  preserve  an  upright  character. 
No  reputable  person,  it  seems  to  me,  would  hesitate  what 
to  advise,  or  what  course  of  conduct  to  pursue  in  this 
respect.  Apart  from  every  consideration  of  policy,  there 
is  an  intrinsic  propriety  in  uprightness,  which  the  most 
depraved  must  reverence,  and  which  those  who  have  lost 
prize  too  late,  as  the  dissolute  do  the  health  which 
they  have  destroyed.  You  surely  do  not  suppose  me 
capable  of  advising  him  to  become  unprincipled  and 
debased  under  any  possible  circumstances  ? 


ELEMENTS  OF  MORAL  CHARACTER.    83 

P.  No ;  and  you  have  only  expressed  tlie  views  of 
every  upright  mind.  You  would  advise  on  the  principle 
that,  although  trials  and  injuries  are  painful,  and  therefore 
undesirable,  uprightness  is  more  estimable;  and  that  the 
latter  should  never  be  sacrificed  to  the  former? 

I.  I  should ;  for  whoever  sacrifices  his  integrity  at  the 
call  of  interest  or  pleasure,  can  neither  escape  the  censure 
of  the  good,  nor  find  an  adequate  excuse  in  his  own 
bosom. 

P.  In  common  with  every  upright  being,  our  Creator 
entertains  the  same  general  views.  He  regards  happiness 
as  of  great  natural  value,  but  he  places  a  far  superior 
moral  estimate  upon  upright  principles;  and,  in  his  re- 
gards, the  moral  preponderates  over  the  natural.  Where- 
fore he  requires  of  his  creatures  the  possession  of  a  holy 
moral  character,  as  indispensable  to  his  approbation 
and  love.  "Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy,  saith  the  Lord." 
— 1  Pet.  1 :  16.  Those  who  become  so,  he  will  approve, 
love,  and  bless.— John  13:1;  Dan.  9:23;  Ps.  125:4; 
Prov.  11 :  20;  Eom.  14: 17,  18.  Those  who  do  not,  he 
will  disapprove,  dislike,  and  punish. — Heb.  12  :  14;  Deut. 
25 :  16  ;  Eom.  2 :  8.  The  creature's  happiness,  however 
valuable  to.  himself,  will  never  be  preserved  by  God  in 
the  eternal  state  at  the  expense  of  holiness..  "Know  ye 
not  that  the  unrighteous  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God?"— 1  Cor.  6:9. 

/.  No  one,  it  seems  to  me,  can  justly  censure,  but 
must  approve  of  him,  for  acting  on  such  principles. 

P,  In  order  clearly  to  understand  what  is  meant  by 
holy  character,  we  will  first  examine  the  nature  and 
incidents  of  moral  character  in  general.  There  are  two 
kinds  of  character — namely,  natural  and  moral.     Natural 


84  "  CONVERSION. 

character  consists  in  one's  natural  temperament,  or  in 
the  peculiar  dispositions,  traits,  or  qualities  impressed 
upon  him  by  nature ;  such  as  the  amiability  of  one,  and 
the  energy  of  another:  Moral  character  consists  in  the 
right  or  wrong  use  one  makes  of  himself;  in  the  impress 
which  one  receives  from  the  right  or  wrong — that  is  to 
say,  moral  principles,  which  habitually  govern  his  feelings 
and  conduct.  In  other  words,  it  consists  in  those  habit- 
ual traits  and  qualities  which  one  derives  from  the  right 
or  wrong  principles  which  he  adopts,  loves,  and  pur- 
sues; as  we  say  that  one  is  of  an  honest  moral  character 
who  is  always  governed  by  strict  integrity  in  his  deal- 
ings with  others,  and  that  another  is  of  a  dishonest  moral 
character  who  is  not. 

/.  The  distinction  is  very  obvious. 

P.  Virtue,  or  morality  in  an  inferior  sense,  is  involved 
in  a  moral  character  which  proceeds  from  recognizing 
and  acting  upon  the  rights  and  claims  of  our  fellow- 
creatures  ;  while  virtue,  in  its  superior  aspect,  is  involved 
in  that  which  proceeds  from  recognizing  and  cordially 
acting  upon  the  rights  and  claims  of  Grod  over  us ;  and, 
in  this  sense,  it  is  synonymous  with  holiness. 

/.  What  is  the  difference  between  character,  reputa- 
tation,  and  happiness? 

P.  Eeputation  is  the  opinion,  good  or  bad,  which  the 
public  entertain  of  our  character.  Character  is  what  we 
are;  reputation  is  what  others  think  ive  are.  Character 
is  our  own,  and  is  to  be  preserved,  when  good,  at  all 
hazards;  but  our  reputation  is  at  the  mercy  of  the  wotld, 
and  is  often  unjustifiably  sacrificed  by  it.  Happiness  is 
an  emotion,  a  feeling  on  satisfaction,  on  the  accomplish- 
ment of  some  desire ;  and  pain  is  an  emotion  of  dissatis- 


ELEMENTS    OF    MOBAL    CHARACTER.  85 

faction  when  some  desire  is  disappointed.  Character  is 
the  impress  of  some  moral  principle  or  rule  of  action; 
while  happiness  is  a  pleasing  sensation,  which  may  result 
sometimes,  but  not  necessarily  or  invariably,  from  a  holy 
character,  and  sometimes,  in  this  world,  in  spite  of  an 
unholy  one.  Character,  reputation,  and  happiness  are, 
as  you  can  perceive,  essentially  different  things. 

/.  No  doubt.  We  always  commend  one  for  his  sup- 
posed upright  character;  but  never  for  his  being  happy, 
nor  for  his  good  reputation,  except  as  we  perceive  he 
deserves  it;  and  that  desert  constitutes  his  character. 

P.  Yes.  By  a  law  of  our  moral  constitution,  we 
always  approve  or  disapprove  of  others  according  to 
their  perceived  moral  character ;  and,  except  when  per- 
sonal considerations  intervene,  it  is  in  view  of  such 
character  that  we  like  or  dislike  them.  The  Scriptures 
represent  God  as  acting  on  the  same  principle. — Job 
1:8;  Ps.  146:8. 

/.  How  is  our  moral  character  to  be  determined? 

P.  By  the  character  of  our  motives,  or  objects  of  ac- 
tion; that  is,  by  that  of  the  ideas  or  considerations 
which  influence  our  desires,  purposes,  affections,  and 
conduct,  or  by  that  of  the  end  which  we  contemplate 
therein. 

/.  Will  you  please  enlighten  my  mind  fttrther  on  this 
point? 

P.  We  always  have  some  reason  for  acting,  and  some 
object  which  attracts  us  to  make  an  effort  for  its  attain- 
ment. An  idea  is  a  thought  or  conception  of  something, 
and  is  usually  the  representative  in  the  mind  of  some  out- 
ward object  or  thing.  The  idea  moves  us  to  act  in  the 
given  case;  and  when  it  does  so,  it  is  called  a  motive. 


86  OONVEESION. 

I.  A  thought,  then,  only  becomes  a  motive  when  it 
has  sufficient  influence  to  induce  us  to  act  under  it. 

P,  An  idea  is  called  an  external  motive,  because  it  is 
derived  from  something  exterior  of  the  mind,  through  the 
action  of  the  intellect.  Thus,  the  thought  of  some  long- 
absent  friend  might  induce  you  to  visit  him.  This 
thought  would  be  external,  because  it  refers  to  some- 
thing exterior  from  the  mind  itself;  and  it  would  be  a 
motive,  because  it  moves  you  to  make  the  visit. 

/.  I  can  easily  understand  it. 

P.  In  one  class  of  cases,  the  thought  first  excites  a 
desire  in  the  mind  for  itself,  or  the  thing  it  represents. 
This  is  called  an  internal  motive^  because  it  is  a  feeling 
originating  in  the  mind  itself,  and  because,  by  its  means 
or  power,  the  idea  moves  one  to  act.  Thus,  the  idea  of 
your  friend  would  first  excite  a  desire  to  see  him,  under 
which  you  would  make  the  visit;  this  desire  would 
move  you  to  act,  and  would  be  an  internal  motive. 

I.  Such  is  my  uniform  experience. 

P.  But  this  desire  exerts  a  moving  influence,  by  in- 
ducing one  to  resolve  to  do  whatever  is  necessary  to 
accomplish  its  object;  and  such  resolution  is  by  a  voli- 
tion, or  mandatory  act  of  the  will.  Thus,  the  desire  to 
see  your  friend  would  induce  you  to  resolve  to  visit  him ; 
which  would  be  a  volition  on  that  subject.  In  its  turn, 
the  resolution  produces  all  the  external  conduct  deemed 
necessary  to  accomplish  the  object;  such  as,  in  the  case 
supposed,  your  immediate  departure  for  the  residence 
of  your  friend. 

I.  Yes,  this  is  natural. 

P.  The  hope  of  succeeding^  gives  all  their  motive  im- 
pulse to  the  desires,  over  the  will  and  conduct;  for,  as 


ELEMENTS    OF    MORAL    CHARACTER.  37 

you  can  readily  perceive,  if  you  had  no  hope  of  finding 
your  friend,  do  what  you  could,  you  would  neither 
resolve  to  go  to  his  residence,  nor  put  forth  any  external 
means  therefor;  while  the  expectation  of  seeing  him,  if 
you  should  make  the  necessary  efforts,  would  be  the 
stimulus  to  your  resolution  and  exertions. 

/.  Such,  I  now  see,  is  the  correct  principle. 

P.  The  pleasure  which  one  takes  is  derived,  as  I  have 
said,  from  the  gratification  of  some  desire,  or  from  the 
anticipation  of  succeeding  in  its  accomplishment.  Thus, 
you  might  not  only  derive  much  pleasure  from  an  inter- 
view with  that  friend,  but  the  expectation  of  seeing  him 
might  make  you  happy  in  anticipation. 

/.  Yes;  and  all  our  other  feelings  are,  as  I  can  now 
perceive,  produced  by  some  thought  originally  presented 
to  the  mind;  so  that,  if  we  ceased  to  think,  we  should 
cease  to  feel  and  act. 

P.  You  are  right.  The  mind  is  always  governed  by 
that  thought  which  is  calculated  to  exert  the  most  power 
at  the  moment — that  is,  by  the  strongest  motive  present. 
Now,  every  thought  has  some  intrinsic  motive  power. 
And  it  has  also  some  moral  character  of  its  own,  either 
good  or  bad;  it  bears  the  moral  impression  of  the  external 
object,  if  any,  of  which  it  is  the  representative.  Thus, 
in  the  case  supposed,  those  friendly  thoughts  are  poten- 
tial; and  also  possess  an  amiable  characteristic,  which 
rises  in  our  estimation  when  it  is  compared  with  that  bru- 
tality which  incapacitates  some  from  exercising  them. 

/.  No  doubt  all  our  ideas  have  some  moral  character. 

P,  Whenever  an  idea  or  object  moves  the  mind  to 
action,  its  moral  character  becomes  impressed  upon  the 
desires,  purposes,  and  other  feelings  which  it  excites. 
4 


38  CONVERSION. 

Thus,  the  amiability  of  friendship  and  its  thoughts  would 
be  stamped  upon  your  desires,  and  purposes,  and  con- 
duct, and  hopes,  and  pleasures,  in  reference  to  your 
friend;  and  all  would  pronounce  your  character  to  be 
amiable.-  And  these  feelings  would  exist  in  moral  har- 
mony ;  that  is  to  say,  the  desire  would  not  be  unamiable, 
and  yet  the  resolution  to  visit  him  be  amiable ;  but  all 
would  necessarily  partake  of  a  common  amiable  charac- 
ter. The  moral  quality  of  the  idea  or  object  is  not 
impressed  upon  the  mind  as  a  signet  produces  its  like- 
ness upon  the  wax ;  but  is  imparted  to  the  agent  by  his 
own  voluntary  adoption  of  it  as  a  motive  influence,  or 
principle  of  action.  It  thereby  becomes  his  own,  a  real 
moral  unity  with  himself;  he  and  his  principles  become 
one  in  morals,  one  in  appro veableness,  or  the  contrary ; 
so  that,  if  his  motive  is  right,  he  is  right,  and  if  that  is 
wrong,  he  is  wrong  also. 

/.  What  is  the  most  usual  rule  by  which  our  moral 
character  is  determined? 

P.  As  we  shall  see  hereafter,  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the 
Scriptures,  most  usually  presents,  for  that  purpose,  the 
ultimate  object  which  one  has  in  view;  by  which  is 
meant  the  most  extreme  or  final  end,  or  that  to  which 
all  the  rest  is  directed;  and  we  will  conform  to  this 
example.  You  will  observe  that  I  have  purposely 
avoided  all  those  technical  expressions  which  are  not 
necessary  to  a  proper  understanding  of  this  subject,  and 
which  would  tend  only  to  confuse  the  uninitiated  in  the 
mysteries  of  speculative  mental  philosophy. 

/.  Will  you  have  the  goodness  to  illustrate  the  prin- 
ciple just  laid  down? 

P.  I  will;    and  in  doing  so  will  also  elucidate  some 


ELEMENTS    OF    MORAL    CHARACTER.  89 

other  points.  Let  us  suppose  that  K.  harbored  the  idea 
of  plundering  the  vaults  of  a  bank  in  the  metropolis,  and 
that  we  saw  him  actually  commence  his  journey  there 
with  that  view.  His  object  would  be  palpably  wrong; 
and  the  question  is,  what  estimate  would  you  form  of  his 
moral  character  in  that  transaction,  and  why? 

I.  I  should  have  no  hesitation  in  pronouncing  it  wrong, 
and  in  censuring  him  as  unprincipled  and  vicious,  and  as 
deserving  of  punishment ;  and  the  reason  would  be,  that 
the  object  he  had  in  view  was  vicious. 

P.  That  object  would  impress  its  vicious  character 
upon  all  his  thoughts,  desires,  plans,  purposes,  and  other 
feelings  excited  in  view  of  it ;  and  you  would  disapprove 
of  them,  and  of  him  for  them,  and  would  dislike  him  on 
their  account? 

/.  Certainly.  Every  virtuous  person  would  feel  so. 
His  character  would  be  blameworthy,  and  no  one  could 
avoid  censuring  him  on  account  of  it. 

P.  Suppose  K,  was  so  hopeful  of  succeeding  in  his 
object  as  to  feel  much  elated,  and  to  take  great  pleasure 
in  every  thing  that  he  judged  would  conduce  to  its 
accomplishment  ? 

/.  I  should  entertain  no  better  opinion  of  him ;  for  his 
hope  and  its  pleasures  would  not  change  his  vicious 
character,  but  would  rather  confirm  it,  and  make  it  more 
decided.  They  would  be  equally  vicious  and  hateful, 
since  they  were  produced  by  a  desire  for,  and  terminated 
upon  such  a  vicious  object. 

P.  Such  is  the  principle  on  which  our  Creator  also 
judges,  as  can  be  seen  in  the  declaration  in  Komans  1 :  32 : 
"Who,  knowing  the  judgment  of  God,  that  they  which 
commit  such  things  are  worthy  of  death,  not  only  do  the 


40  CONVERSION. 

same,  but  have  phasure  in  those  that  do  themy  Their 
pleasure  in  other  transgressors,  on  account  of  their  con- 
duct, seems  to  be  considered  the  chief  and  culminating 
point  of  iniquity  in  their  own  characters.  In  order  to 
hold  K.  thus  responsible  to  censure,  he  must  have  acted 
voluntarily  in  selecting  his  object,  and  in  laying  and 
pursuing  his  plans  for  it;  he  must  have  been  at  liberty 
to  weigh  the  considerations  for  and  against  it,  and  to 
have  chosen  or  to  have  refused  them.  If  he  had  been 
coerced,  so  as  to  have  acted  against  his  will,  he  would 
not  exhibit  his  own  character  therein,  but  that  of  the 
person  who  had  compelled  him  to  such  conduct.  So 
that  he  could  form  that  character  for  himself  only,  by 
freely  yielding  to  the  vicious  considerations 

/.  True ;  but  suppose  his  will  was  already  so  perverse 
on  the  general  subject  of  honesty,  as  to  yield  to  such 
considerations  without  resistance,  being  induced  to 
choose  them  of  course? 

P.  This  would  not  excuse  him,  but  would  be  an  evi- 
dence of  a  previous  radical  perversion  in  his  principles. 
As  he  was  intended  by  his  natural  constitution  to  be  a 
free  moral  agent,  and  as  God  did  not  make  dishonesty 
any  part  of  either  his  natural  or  moral  constitution,  it 
follows  that  his  devotion  to  it  was  of  his .  own  creation, 
and  that  he  is  responsible  for  all  the  consequences. 

/.  But  suppose  he  had  become  so  perverse  as  to  have 
lost  all  his  recuperative  moral  power — that  is,  his  ability 
of  himself  to  resist  successfully — would  not  this  inabil- 
ity excuse  him,  at  least  until  some  sufficient  external  aid 
should  be  afforded  him  ? 

P.  No;  having  brought  it  upon  himself,  he  cannot 
depose  the  responsibility  of  any  of  the  consequence? 


ELEMENTS    OF    MOKAL    CHAKACTER,  41 

upon  others,  or  excuse  himself  for  any  deficiency  it  may 
produce.  The  more  profound  his  inability,  the  more 
wilfully  and  habitually  perverse  he  must  have  acted,  and 
the  more  censurable  he  would  be.  His  consequent 
dependence  upon  exterior  aid  would  evince,  not  his 
misfortune,  but  his  criminality  of  disposition ;  and  the 
measure  of  it  would  exhibit  the  exact  extent  of  his 
perversion  and  criminality,  so  that  if  his  dependence  was 
entire,  they  would  be  complete.  He  could  make  no  claim 
to  such  aid  as  a  right,  but  would  remain  bound  to  reform 
without  it;  since  a  crime  can  never,  in  good  morals, 
absolve  one  from  the  obligations  of  a  previous  duty.  If 
he  never  received  such  aid,  he  would  be  left  to  meet  his 
deserts  without  any  just  cause  of  complaint;  and  if  he 
did  obtain  it,  it  would  be  an  act  of  undeserved  kindness, 
for  which  he  could  not  be  too  thankful. 

/.  I  see  no  good  objection  to  these  principles. 

P.  Suppose  that  L.  should  entertain  the  idea  of  ren- 
dering assistance  to  a  family  residing  in  the  same  place, 
who  were  peculiarly  deserving  of  sympathy ;  and,  with 
that  view,  should  commence  a  journey  there  in  company 
with  K.  His  object  being  benevolent,  we  should  es- 
teem his  character  as  benevolent  in  the  transaction ;  and 
we  should  approve,  and  like  him,  on  account  of  such 
object.  If  he  should  become  doubtful  and  distressed 
under  a  fear  of  failure,  so  as  almost  to  despond  of  success, 
but  should,  notwithstanding,  persevere,  our  estimate  of 
his  character  would  remain  unchanged ;  indeed,  his  dis- 
couragement and  sadness,  proceeding  from  the  appre- 
hension of  having  his  benevolent  desires  disappointed, 
would  make  him  more  estimable,  because  they  would 
evince  the  sincerity  and  strength  of  those  feelings,  while 
4* 


42  CONVEKSION. 

his  decision  and  perseverance  under  difficulties,  would 
fihow  a  commendable  stability  in  well  doing. 

/.  I  coincide  perfectly  in  these  views. 

P,  If  K.  and  L.  should  be  mistaken,  the  one  for  the 
other,  by  their  fellow-passengers,  and  the  vicious  repu- 
tation of  the  one  should  be  attached  by  them  to  the 
other,  it  could  in  no  way  affect  his  true  character.  An 
agreement  between  them  to  exchange  characters  could 
not  effect  a  substitution,  because  each  must  have  ac- 
quired his  own;  and  although  one  could  lose  his  good 
character  by  violating  his  principles,  and  the  other  could 
acquire  a  good  one  by  reformation,  yet  neither  could 
impart  his  own  to  another,  or  receive  a  transfer  of  his 
in  return. 

/.  My  views  accord  with  yours. 

P.  There  is  an  important  difference  in  the  principles 
by  whicli  the  character  of  a  person  who  acts  is  tested,  and 
those  by  which  the  character  of  his  external  actions  is 
determined,  to  which  I  invite  your  attention.  It  will 
affect,  in  some  degree,  the  whole  course  of  our  future 
investigations.  Let  me  inquire,  how  do  you  account  for 
the  fact  that  wicked  men  often  perform  good  actions  ? 

I.  They  suppose  that  such  actions  are  indicative  of 
good  feelings,  and  that  they  are  themselves  good. 

P.  No  doubt  men  of  evil  moral  character  may  be 
prompted  to  good  actions  by  benevolent  or  other  natural 
feelings,  for  seldom  can  any  be  found  entirely  divested 
of  those  humane  impulses  which  all  derive  from  nature; 
but  this  refers  to  traits  of  natural  character  only,  while 
my  question  respects  moral  character  exclusively.  It 
is  said  that  some  pirates  captured  a  vessel  loaded  with 
provisions  for  the  starving  population  of  Madeira;  and 


ELEMENTS    OF    MORAL    CHARACTER.  43 

that,  on  learning  its  destination,  they  released  the  vessel 
and  crew,  and  sent  them  on  their  way.  This  was  a  good 
action,  prompted  by  some  remaining  humanity ;  but  it 
does  not  prove  that  the  pirates  were  morally  good  men, 
that  is,  possessed  of  integrity  and  good  moral  character. 

/.  I  perceive  the  difference.  It  is  clear  that  the  char- 
acter of  a  person  is  determined  by  that  of  his  motives  or 
object;  and  I  have  supposed  that  his  external  actions  also 
would  be  right  or  wrong  according  to  the  character  of 
his  motives,  being  decided  by  the  same  standard. 

P.  Then,  if  one  does  evil,  in  order  that  good  may 
come — ^if  he  perpetrates  a  bad  action  from  the  motive  of 
effecting  some  good  end — the  action  will  cease  to  be  evil ; 
and  not  only  so,  but  it  will  become  good ;  since,  on  this 
ground,  the  motive  must  make  it  right.  The  end,  then, 
will  sanctify  the  means,  whatever  they  are.  But  this  is 
pure  Jesuitism,  and  is  denounced  in  the  Scriptural  "And 
not  rather,  (as  we  be  slanderously  reported,  and  as  some 
affirm  that  we  say,)  Let  us  do  evil  that  good  may  come? 
whose  damnation  is  just." — Kom.  3 :  8.  According  to 
revelation,  therefore,  the  end  does  not  sanctify  evil 
means,  the  motive  of  the  agent  does  not  relieve  the 
depravity  of  the  bad  action,  nor  decide  its  character  at  all. 

/.  Will  you  please  explain  what  principle  does  de- 
cide it? 

P.  Let  me  remark,  preliminarily,  that  I  refer  now 
exclusively  to  outward  actions,  and  not  to  our  resolutions 
or  intentions.  The  character  of  our  intentions  is,  as  we 
have  seen,  always  decided  by  our  motives  or  objects; 
and  that  of  our  emotions  by  our  motives,  desires  and 
intentions  indifferently,  since  these  are  always  uniform  in 
character,  and  our  emotions  rise  spontaneously.    When  a 


44  CONVEKSION. 

person  performs  some  outward  action,  it  evinces  an 
intention  to  do  it;  but  it  does  not  conclusively  show  the 
moral  character  of,  that  intention.  It  is  true  that  we 
usually  suppose  men  will  act  consistently,  and  so  are 
disposed  to  infer  a  good  motive  for  a  good  action,  and  a 
bad  motive  for  a  bad  one ;  whereas  all  know  that  a  good 
action  may  be  done  from  a  bad  intention,  and  a  bad  one 
from  a  good.  Should  a  debtor  pay  an  honest  debt  at 
maturity,  we  would  infer  an  upright  and  honest  motive 
and  intention.  But  he  might  be  thus  punctual  with  a 
view  of  establishing  his  credit,  and  thereby  of  eventually 
defrauding  his  creditor  out  of  an  immense  amount  of 
money;  in  which  case  the  inference  founded  on  the  sup- 
posed consistency  between  his  conduct  and  motives 
would  be  erroneous,  and  the  action,  though  right  in 
itself,  would  be  seen  to  proceed  from  an  evil  intention. 
There  is^  such  a  consistency  usually  in  the  motives  and 
conduct  of  wicked  men,  that  it  is  a  safe  rule,  "  Ye  shall 
know  them  by  their  fruits"  (Matt.  7 :  16);  but  the  hypo- 
crite may,  and  usually  does,  violate  that  consistency  by 
imitating  the  just  in  their  conduct,  but  from  sinister 
intentions.  There  is  also  usually  a  consistency  between 
the  motives  and  conduct  of  upright  men ;  but  the  just  may 
be,  and  often  are  left,  through  ignorance,  to  perpetrate 
some  of  the  bad  actions  of  the  Avicked. — Pro  v.  24  :  16. 

I.  I  perceive  my  mistake.     "What  is  the  true  rule  ? 

P.  The  character  of  our  external  actions  depends 
exclusively  upon  their  being  in  fulfillment  or  in  viola- 
tion of  some  law  which  is  authoritative  over  us,  or  of 
some  obligation  which  we  are  under  to  others.  In  deter- 
mining the  character  of  the  agent^  we  refer,  as  has  been 
said,  to  that  of  the  motive   or  intention  which   pro- 


ELEMENTS    OF    MOBAL    CHARACTER.  45 

duced  his  outward  conduct;  but  in  determining  that  of 
such  conduct  we  ask,  was  its  legitimate  tendency  (whether 
60  designed  by  him,  or  not,)  to  fulfill  a  law  or  obligation 
resting  upon  him?  If  it  was,  we  pronounce  the  action 
'good;  if  it  was  not,  we  pronounce  it  evil. 

/.  On  these  principles,  if  a  deserving  mendicant  should 
come  into  my  house,  and  ask  alms,  to  give  him  pecuniary 
aid  would  be  a  good  action,  because  it  is  in  fulfillment  of 
my  obligations  to  him  as  a  fellow-creature;  and  my 
family  might  approve  of  me  in  it,  by  inferring  a  benevo- 
lent motive.  But  if  my  sole  object  was  to  get  rid  of 
him  as  speedily  as  possible,  my. own  character,  in  the 
transaction,  would  not  be  commendable,  but  rather  cen- 
surable? This  is  self-evidently  correct.  But  does  the 
character  of  an  action  produce  no  reflex  impression  on 
that  of  the  agent? 

P.  I  will  answer  by  an  illustration,  which  will  enable 
us  to  see  this  important  distinction  more  clearly ;  when 
we  will  leave  the  subject.  Suppose  that  M.  has  a  neigh- 
bor who  is  reduced  to  poverty  by  a  protracted  illness; 
and  that  he  should,  with  many  professions  of  kindness, 
loan  him  a  considerable  sum  of  money  to  meet  the 
wants  of  his  family, — to  be  repaid  at  some  future  and 
more  prosperous  day.  "We  should  be  disposed  to  attri- 
bute benevolent  motives  to  M.^  and  would  commend  his 
character  in  the  transaction.  We  would  also  approve  of 
his  conduct,  as  being  obviously  proper  toward  a  suffering 
fellow-creature.  But  suppose  we  are  credibly  informed 
that  he  had  no  such  motives,  and  that,  notwithstanding 
his  plausible  professions,  his  real  objects  in  that  transac- 
tion were  to  get  the  poor  man  and  his  family  in  his 
power  by  involving  him  in  debt,  to  exact  exhorbitant 


46  CONVEKSION. 

interest  for  his  money,  to  enslave  liim  and  tliem  to  his  own 
vile  passions,  and  the  like.  Our  estimate  of  his  character 
would  now  change  to  disapprobation,  with  feelings  of 
detestation ;  and  if  he  should  attempt  to  justify  himself 
on  the  ground  that  his  pecuniary  loan  to  the  poor  man 
was  a  good  deed,  we  should  admit  that,  viewed  by 
itself,  that  action  was  good,  inasmuch  as  it  was  in  fulfill- 
ment of  his  obligations,  but  that  it  did  not  relieve  his 
personal  character  from  condemnation.  On  the  con- 
trary, we  would  insist  that  he  deserved  increased  censure 
and  abhorrence  for  designedly  covering  his  evil  pur- 
poses under  a  good  action,  that  is,  for  adding  hypocrisy 
to  his  depravity. 

I.  I  am  satisfied.  But  still,,  if  a  person  intending  to 
do  right,  happens  to  perform  an  action  which  is  injurious 
to  others,  he  is  not  to  be  blamed? 

P.  Not  for  any  criminal  intention;  but  he  may  be 
censurable  for  want  of  consideration,  or  for  that  igno- 
rance, in  consequence  of  which,  the  injurious  act  occur- 
red.    In  the  case  of  i£,  what  counsel  would  you  give? 

L  I  should  say,  in  the  language  of  Scripture,  "these 
ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the  other  un- 
done."— Luke  11 :  42.  He  ought  to  have  relieved  his 
suffering  neighbor,  but  should  have  done  it  with  pure 
motives.  Then  he  would  have  been  commended  and 
loved ;  but  now  he  could  only  be  censured  and  despised 
for  the  same  action. 

P.  To  observe,  in  our  actions,  the  laws  of  the  divine 
and  human  governments,  and  to  fulfil  all  our  domestic, 
social,  and  civil  obligations,  are  things  which  ought  to 
be  done ;  while  to  do  them  with  proper  motives,  and,  as 
respects  God,  with  those  of  the  holy  heart,  are  the  things 


ELEMENTS    OF    MOKAL    CHARACTER.  47 

which  are  not  to  be  left  undone.  In  concluding  this 
part  of  our  subject,  I  will  only  remark  that  there  are 
many  varieties  in  general  character.  One,  for  example, 
is  of  an  ambitious  character,  because  of  his  habitual 
aspirations  after  power,  honor,  office,  or  fame;  and  an- 
other is  of  a  good  moral  character,  who  is  habitual  in 
his  endeavors  to  fulfill  his  duties  to  mankind.  We 
are  now  prepared  to  enter  upon  the  subject  of  a  holy 
personal  character. 


r  OF   THV 

[  UNIVERSITY 


CHAPTER  III, 


ELEMENTS  OF  HOLY  CHARACTER 


Pastor.  A  holy  character  is  the  essential  element 
in  regeneration,  conversion,  submission  to  God,  obedi- 
ence, repentance,  faith,  the  new  heart,  and  every  other 
Christian  duty;  and  it  confers  upon  each  all  the  moral 
value  which  belongs  to  it.  By  its  power,  whoever 
enters  upon  either  of  these  duties  becomes  measurably 
assimilated  to  the  character  of  Christ,  and  enters  upon 
that  spiritual  progress  which  will,  through  grace,  termi- 
nate in  a  perfect  conformity  to  his  moral  image  in  the 
heavenly  state. — Pro  v.  4:18. 

Inquirer.  In  that  view,  those  requirements  are  both 
reasonable  and  indispensable. 

P.  As  an  infinitely  just  being,  God  must  have  some 
good  and  justifiable  reason  why  he  assumes  the  govern- 
ment over  his  intelligent  creatures ;  ai»d  as  a  wise  ruler, 
he  must  contemplate  some  adequate  end  to  be  accom- 
plished by  his  administration.  By  ascertaining  what 
these  are,  we  shall  discover  the  principles  which  are  to  be 
adopted  in  order  to  the  possession  of  a  holy  character. 

/.  I  shall  be  glad  to  investigate  them. 

P.  Why  has  God  the  legal  and  supreme  right  to  con- 
trol you  and  your  actions  ? 

/.  Because  he  is  the  Lord. 

P.  That  is  correct;  and  that  reason  is  sufficient  for 


ELEMENTS  OF  HOLY  CHARACTER.     49^ 

every  unsophisticated  mind.  But  tlie  exigencies  of  our 
subject  make  it  necessary  for  us  to  inquire  why  this  fact 
confers  such  a  right  upon  him  ? 

/.  The  reason  exists  in  my  mind  as  a  simple  appre- 
hension, but  I  am  unable  clearly  to  express  it  in  words. 
Will  you  please  to  explain  it  ? 

P.  Is  that  watch,  which  you  hold  in  your  hand,  your 
own  property  ? 

L  It  is,  by  purchase  from  the  maker. 

P.  Having  worked  up  his  raw  materials  into  that 
watch,  he  became  its  exclusive  owner,  under  God ;  and 
by  its  due  transfer  to  you, -you  have  succeeded  to  all 
his  rights.  As  its  legal  owner,  you  have  every  right  of 
property  in  it,  such  as  the  right  to  possess,  enjoy  and 
control  it;  and  this  is  exclusive  of  all  others,  except 
God,  (who,  as  the  owner  of  the  original  materials,  has  a 
property  which  underlays  yours,)  and  you  may  exercise 
it  without  the  permission  or  interference  of  the  rest  of 
mankind.  This  legal  right  of  property  is  recognised 
and  guarded  by  God  himself.— Ex.  20 :  15.  17.  It 
confers  on  you  no  authority  over  other  persons,  their 
property  or  other  rights ;  but  within  the  limits  of  your 
other  personal  claims,  you  may  use  the  watch  as  you 
see  fit,  and  all  just  laws  would  sustain  you  in  it.  Thus, 
if  I  should  seize  upon  the  watch,  and  convert  it  to  my 
own  use,  you  would  justly  complain  of  the  act  as  an 
infringement  upon  your  exclusive  rights,  and  would 
insist  upon  its  immediate  restoration. 

I.  Certainly  I  should.  My  ownership  would  be  a 
sufficient  title  against  all  the  world,  and  would  authorize 
me  to  possess  and  use  the  watch  as  I  pleased. 

P.  God,  as  the  original  maker  of  all  the  material  uni- 
5 


CONVEKSION. 


verse,  has  the  ultimate  and  more  absolute  right  therein. 
Creatorship  is  necessarily  the  primary  source  of  all 
ownership ;  and  this  authorizes  him  to  confer  those  sub- 
ordin9,te  rights  of  property  on  mankind  which  they  now 
enjoy.  As  such  original  owner,  the  natural  and  legal 
riglit  of  property  which  God  possesses  over  his  creation, 
is  of  the  most  perfect  kind.  He  created  the  Sun,  for 
example,  and  caused  its  light  and  warmth  to  be  shed 
forth  upon  the  waiting  earth;  and  who  can  doubt  his 
perfect  right  to  do  with  it  as  he  will  ?  Who  has  the 
privilege  of  questioning  his  authority,  or  the  mode  in 
which  he  may  exercise  it,  or  the  purposes  which  he 
may  choose  to  accomplish  by  means  of  it  ?  Who  can 
do  any  thing  to  make  his  rights  of  property  in  that  orb 
more  perfect  ?  Or  who  can  in  the  least  impair  them  ? 
ISTo  oiie.  He  may  do  as  he  will  with  his  own  (Matt. 
20 :  25) ;  and  if  you  will  allow  the  supposition,  if  the  Sun 
could  resist  and  should  refuse  to  do  his  will,  it  would 
have  no  right  to  do  so,  and  he  would  be  justified  in 
annihilating  it,  and  in  creating  another  in  its  place. 

I.  Common  reason  teaches  us  that  the  rights  of  pro- 
perty derived  from  creation,  are  perfect  in  God.  I^To 
one,  I  suppose,  pretends  by  argument  or  otherwise  to 
increase  or  diminish  them. 

P.  In  the  Scriptures,  God  explicitly  puts  forth  such 
claims.  I  will  cite  only  a  few  passages  in  proof  of 
this,  for  a  few  will  be  as  conclusive  as  a  multitude ;  and 
I  will  adopt  the  same  course  on  all  the  other  subjects 
which  may  arise  hereafter.  God  is  declared  (as  in  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis)  to  be  the  sole  creator  of  the 
world  of  matter.  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  he  that 
created  the  heavens,  and  stretched  them  out;   he  that 


ELEMENTS    OF    HOLY    CHARACTER.  51 

spread  forth  the  earth,  and  that  which  cometh  out  of  it." 
— Is.  42 : 5  and  45 :  12.  God  also  claims  the  ownership 
of  all  material  things,  for  the  reason  that  he  had  founded, 
or  began  and  built  them.  "The  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and 
tke  fullness  thereof— for  he  hath  founded  it  upon  the 
seas,  and  established  it  upon  the  floods." — Ps.  24 : 1,  2. 
"The  heavens  are  thine,  the  earth  also  is  thine;  as  for 
the  world,  and  the  fullness  thereof,  thou  hast  founded 
them :  the  north  and  the  south,  thou  hast  created  them." 
— Ps.  89: 11,  12.  God  also  claims  all  the  rights  of  pro- 
perty over  material  things,  on  the  ground  that  he  is 
their  owner.  "If  I  were  hungry,  I  would  not  tell 
thee:  for  the  world  is  mine,  and. the  fullness  thereof." — 
Ps.  50:12. 

L  The  Scriptures  are  very  clear  on  these  points. 

P.  For  the  same  reason,  God  has  a  perfect  ij^tural 
and  legal  right  to  control  his  moral  creatures.  He 
created  us,  body  and  soul,  and  thereby  became  our 
owner.  As  such  owner,  all  the  legal  rights  of  property 
attached  to  him ;  and  he  has  the  same  privilege  to  pos- 
sess, and  govern  his  moral  and  intelligent,  that  he  has 
his  natural,  creation.  All  the  considerations  that  apply 
to  the  one,  attach  with  equal  force  to  the  other;  all  his 
rights  are  the  same,  only  in  respect  to  his  moral  pro- 
perty he  has,  by  the  exigencies  and  circumstances  of 
their  creation,  restricted  the  mode  in  which  he  will 
direct  and  enforce  the  observance  of  them.  The  basis 
remains  unchanged,  and  indeed  is  unchangeable;  for 
God  cannot  claim  rights  which  his  creation,  or  the  pre- 
servation of  his  creatures,  (which  is  equivalent  to  their 
continued  creation,)  did  not  confer  upon  him. 

I.  Of  course,  whatever  his  creation,  whether  it  is 


52  CONVERSION. 

material  or  moral,  the  ground  of  his  right  to  control 
must  be  the  same.  The  thing  created  can  make  no  dif- 
ference in  that  respect. 

P,  The  Scriptures  are  very  explicit  on  these  points 
also.  They  represent  God  as  the  sole  creator  of  all  the 
human  race.  "I  have  made  the  earth  and  created 
man  upon  it." — Is.  45:12.  "The  souls  which  I  have 
made." — Is.  57 :  16 ;  Gen.  1 :  27.  He  consequently  claims 
the  ownership  of  all  mankind.  "Behold  all  souls  are 
mine." — Ez.  18:4;  John  1:11.  He  claims  to  exercise, 
on  that  ground,  the  rights  of  property  over  the  race, 
even  to  punishing  those  who  infringe  upon  his  laws. 
"As  the  soul  of  the  father,  so  the  soul  of  the  son  is 
mine:  the  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die." — Ez.  18:4. 
"Eemember  now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy. youth." 
— Eccl.  12  : 1 ;  1  Cor.  6 :  20.  The  Scriptures  declare 
that  his  authority  over  moral  beings  is  supreme  and 
peremptory.  "And  he  doeth  according  to  his  will  in  the 
army  of  heaven  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth; 
and  none  can  stay  his  hand,  or  say  unto  him,  What 
doest  thou?" — Dan.  4:85.  Although  God  is  always 
influenced  by  wise  and  good  reasons  in  his  government 
of  his  moral  creatures,  (Ez.  14:28;  Gen.  18:25)'yet  no 
one  who  is  ignorant  of  them  has  a  right  to  resist  his 
authority  on  that  account,  or  to  interpose  any  question 
as  to  his  mode  of  exercising  it;  it  is  enough  for  those 
who  are  bound  by  the  obligations  of  a  creature  to  a 
creator,  to  know  that  "he  worketh  all  things  after  the 
counsel  of  his  own  will."— Eph.  1 :  11 ;  Eom.  9 :  20,  21. 

I.  The  word  of  God  is  very  full  indeed  on  the  point. 
Although  he  sometimes  condescends  to  give  a  reason 
why  he  commands  one  thing  rather  than  another,  yet 


'  ELEMENTS    OF    HOLY    CHARACTER.  53 

the  reason  why  he  may  command  at  all  must  ever  re- 
main the  same — namely,  his  proprietary  rights  over  us. 

P.  Yes;  his  authority  does  not  depend  on  the  sound* 
ness  of  his  views,  or  on  the  wisdom  of  his  administra- 
tion, although  he  is  both  sound  and  wise;  but  upon  his 
creative  rights,  which  alone  authorize  him  to  exercise 
his  natural  and  moral  qualifications  imperatively  in 
respect  to  us,  whether  we  will  or  no. 

/.  The  principle  seems  to  be  indisputable. 

P.  The  Scriptures  present  the  Deity  as  a  tri-une  God; 
and  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  the  three 
distinct,  co-equal,  and  co-eternal  persons  in  the  one  sub- 
stance of  the  Godhead.  It  was  God  the  Son  who  made 
and  upholds  all  these  worlds ;  who  appeared  to  Moses  as 
the  I  AM ;  who,  as  the  great  Jehovah,  gave  the  law  on 
Sinai;  who  inspired  the  ancient  prophets;  and  who  is 
now  invested  with  the  government  of  the  world. — Col. 
1:16;  Heb.  1:2,3;  Ex.  3:14,  and  John  8:24  68; 
Heb.  11 :  25,  26;  1  Pet.  1 :  10,  11;  Matt.  28 :  18.  While 
on  earth  he  claimed  and  exercised  the  same  authority. — 
Matt.  7:  29.  By  whatever  name"  he  is  designated,  our 
devotions  will  partake  of  idolatry  unless  we  elevate 
him  to  the  supreme  rank  as  the  Almighty  ruler,  and 
worship  him  as  the  true  God. — 1  John  5 :  20.  In  that 
character  I  shall  always  speak  of  him.  Names  and 
titles  among  the  Jews,  as  with  aU  primitive  nations, 
were  significant  of  some  trait  or  characteristic  attached 
to  their  owners.  Thus,  the  term  God  (derived  from 
the  Icelandic  Godi)  has,  both  in  the  original  and  in  our 
language,  the  signification  of  a  magistrate  or  ruler.  The 
title  Lord,  given  to  Christ  in  the  New  Testament,  is 
usually  a  translation  of  the  Greek  name  Kunos^  which 
6* 


54  CONVEESION. 

signifies  a  lord — that  is,  a  possessor,  owner,  master. 
"Truth  Lord;  [Kurie]  yet  the  dogs  eat  of  the  crumbs 
which  fall  from  their  master's  [kunoTi]  table." — Matt.  15 : 
27.  The  Enghsh  term  landlord,  which  signifies  the 
owner  of  land  who  has  tenants  under  him,  will  aid  us  to 
understand  its  meaning.  "Ye  call  me  master  [didaskalos^ 
master  in  the  sense  of  an  authoritative  teacher]  and 
Lord,  [Kurios^  lord  in  the  sense  of  an  authoritative 
owner  and  possessor]  and  ye  say  well ;  for  so  I  am." — 
John  13 :  18.  The  angels  announced  to  the  shepherds, 
"  Christ  the  Lord,"  the  owner  and  ruler  of  the  world. — 
Luke  2 :  11.  Christ  rebuked  those  who  admitted  that  he 
was  their  Lord,  owner  and  master,  and  who  yet  did  not 
obey  him  as  such. — Luke  6 :  46.  And  the  apostle,  in  his 
address  at  Athens,  gave  his  creative  rights  as  the  ground 
upon  which  he  had  supreme  authority  over  all:  "God 
that  made  the  world,  and  all  things  therein,  seeing  that 
he  is  Lord  [Kurios^  ruler  by  virtue  of  such  ownership] 
of  heaven  and  earth, — commandeth  all  men,  every 
where,  to  repent."— Acts  17 :  24.  30. 

L  I  fear  that  I  have  sometimes  entertained  less 
exalted  views  of  Christ,  but  will  be  more  cautious  here- 
after. You  have  satisfactorily  explained  my  meaning 
in  the  reply,  that  Christ  has  a  right  to  control  us  be- 
cause he  is  the  Lord. 

P.  You  will  observe  that  rights  and  duties  are  always 
reciprocal ;  and  that  as  Grod  has  a  creative  right  to  con- 
trol us,  we  are  under  obligations,  on  our  part,  to  yield 
to  his  rule  for  that  reason;  and  that,  in  good  morals, 
our  obligations  can  be  fulfilled  as  only  we  obey  upon 
that  principle. 

/.  Certainly;  for  to  observe  the  things  he  has  com- 


ELEMENTS  OF  HOLY  CHARACTER.     55 

manded,  for  the  reason,  for  example,  that  we  think  it 
will  prove  more  lucrative  than  to  refuse,  can  be  no 
fulfillment  of  an  obligation-Bto  Mm.  But  does  not  our 
position  savour  of  bondage  ? 

P.  Not  in  the  least.  The  essence  of  bondage  consists 
in  a  compulsory  and  involuntary  service.  The  proprie- 
tary rights  of  God  may  exist;  and  yet,  if  he  makes  no 
use  of  coercion  either  in  the  inception  or  continuance  of 
our  service,  this  allegation  will  not  lie  against  that  rela- 
tion. Especially  will  it  be  free  from  it,  if  the  creature 
renders  a  service  in  all  respects  free  and  voluntary  in 
recognition  of  his  legal  obligations  to  him.  Such  is  the 
service  which  God  requires,  and  such  only  will  he 
accept.  He  will  use  no  physical  compulsion,  or  any 
thing  tantamount  to  it,  in  reference  to  his  creatures;  but 
each  must  render  his  service  "of  his  own  voluntary 
will." — Lev.  1 :  3.  Still,  as  is  just,  God  will  not  depose 
his  rights  over  him,  but  will  leave  him  to  act  at  his  own 
peril.  In  his  relations  to  his  moral  creatures,  he  com- 
bines the  tenderness,  without  the  weakness,  of  a  parent 
with  the  authority  of  a  master:  "A  son  honorcth  his 
father,  and  a  servant  his  master;  if  then  I  be  a  father, 
where  is  mine  honor  ?  and  if  I  be  a  master,  where  is  my 
fear?  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." — Mai.  1 :  6.* 

*  We  ordinarily  use  the  terms  free  and  voluntary  as  synonymous; 
but  there  are  cases  in  which  there  exists  a  decided  and  important  dif- 
ference between  them.  For  example,  a  person  gives  alms  to  a  poor 
man,  who  exposes  his  wants  and  miseries.  This  action  is  at  the  same 
time  both  voluntary  and  free; — voluntary,  because  done  by  a  consent 
of  his  will,  and  free,  because  such  consent  was  not  extorted,  but  was 
rendered  for  reasons  sufficient,  and  freely  chosen  without  constraint 
by  him.  But  suppose  a  man  who  travels  alone  and  unarmed,  ftiUs  into 
the  hands  of  robbers,  and  that  these  miscreants  menace  him  with 


66  CONVERSION. 

I.  You  have  convinced  me  that  God  does  possess  a 
legal  authority,  one  that  rises  naturally  from  his  rela- 
tion to  his  creatures,  which  all  just  laws  would  sustain, 
b}^  which  we  are  bound  even  previous  to  our  consent, 
and  for  the  violation  of  which  he  may  inflict  punish- 
ment ;  and  that  it  entirely  avoids  the  objection  which  I 
have  just  raised.  But  has  not  his  moral  character 
some  bearing  on  this  subject? 

P.  Yes.  It  is  in  view  of  his  excellent  character  that 
we  should  love  him,  for  it  is  infinitely  worthy  of  our 
highest  affections.  Besides,  it  is  so  just,  and  so  eminently 
qualifies  him  to  counsel  his  creatures,  that  it  must  elicit 
the  confidence  of  every  one  who  will  carefully  examine 
it.  But  you  will  observe  that  there  is  a  radical  diflPerence 
in  the  grounds  assumed,  and  in  the  influence  exerted 
by  one  who  advises,  and  one  who  commands.  The 
former  relies  upon  the  supposed  reasonableness  or  policy 
of  his  counsel,  and  its  influence  as  reasonable  and  politic 
upon  the  person,  leaving  him  at  his  option  whether  to 
adopt  it  or  no;  whereas  one  who  commands,  assumes 
some  legal  right  to  do  so,  and  does  not  leave  it  optional 
with  the  inferior  to  obey  or  disobey,  but  insists  upon 

instant  death  unless  he  gives  them  all  he  has.  The  surrender  which 
this  traveller  makes  of  his  money  in  order  to  save  his  life  is  indeed  a 
voluntary  action,  because  done  by  a  consent  of  his  wdll,  but  it  is  not 
a  free  one;  it  is  not  done  from  such  reasons  as  he  approves  and 
freely  concurs  with;  but  his  consent  is  constrained  by  the  fear  of 
death  or  the  hope  of  preserving  his  life  in  that  miserable  exigency, 
by  the  sacrifice.  Hence  the  act  is  void  of  liberty.  Being  so  void 
of  freedom,  the  mind  refuses  to  be  bound  by  it's  consent;  and  on 
being  released  from  the  power  of  these  men,  the  traveller  would  feel 
authorized  to  reclaim  his  money;  and  he  would  be  justified  in  good 
morals  in  so  doing. — See  Burl,  on  Nat.  Law,  p.  19.    Philem.  14. 


ELEMENTS  OF  HOLY  CHARACTER.     57 

obedience  as  a  duty.  God,  in  his  condescending  good- 
ness, often  advises  and  counsels  his  moral  creatures ;  but 
when  he  commands^  it  is  peremptory,  as  thus:  I  created 
you;  I  sustain  you  in  being; — obey,  or  my  hand  will 
be  withdrawn  I 

I.  My  conscience  intuitively  responds  that  I  ought  to 
obey  him,  and  that  I  must.  However  lovely  God  is,  in 
his  justice  for  example,  I  can  readily  perceive  that  it 
will  be  impossible  to  love  him  until  we  have  become 
reconciled  to  his  sovereignty.  What  are  some  of  the 
moral  characteristics  of  God  ? 

P.  Benevolence,  or  sympathy  toward  his  creatures,  is 
a  natural  trait  of  the  divine  character;  but  it  is  made 
the  occasion  of  exhibiting  his  moral  character  by  his 
invariably  subjecting  its  gratification  to  the  decision 
of  rectitude,  or  of  right  principles  in  the  given  case 
Therefore,  compassionate  as  God  is  in  view  of  their  con- 
dition and  prospects,  even  to  the  sacrifice  of  his  only 
Son  for  a  dying  world,  he  will  never  indulge  it  by 
delivering  men  in  opposition  to  the  demands  of  recti- 
tude. A  holy  character  is  indispensable  to  man's  ac- 
ceptance, notwithstanding  that  the  sympathies  of  Christ 
were  excited  in  his  behalf,  even  to  tears. — Luke  19 :  41. 

The  mercy  of  God  is  his  act  of  setting  aside  a  punish- 
ment justly  impending.  It  is  an  exercise  of  grace  or 
undeserved  favor ;  but  is  subordinated  to  the  same  prin- 
ciple of  rectitude,  which  will  be  satisfied  only  with  the 
penitence  of  the  sinner,  and  the  justification  of  God  by 
means  of  the  atonement  of  Christ.  "The  Lord  passed 
by  before  him,  and  proclaimed.  The  Lord,  the  Lord  God, 
merciful  and  gracious,  long-suifering,  and  abundant  in 
goodness  and  truth ; — and  that  will  hy  no  means  clear  the 


58  CONVERSION. 

guilty. ^^ — Ex.  84 :  6,  7.  Many  mistake  his  mere  compas- 
sion for  raercj,  and  receive  the  expressions  of  his  benev- 
olent pity  for  a  present  willingness  to  exercise  mercy. 
This  encourages  them  to  continue  in  sin,  under  a  hope 
of  impunity  from  such  compassion  whenever  they  shall 
attempt  to  retrieve  their  position; — a  delusive  experi- 
ment, which  has  ruined  its  myriads. 

The  justice  of  God  implies  his  purpose  to  render  to  all 
beings  their  rights,  according  to  an  equitable  and  right- 
eous scale.     In  a  more  particular  and  usual   sense,  it 
intends  the  punitive  dealings  of  God  toward  incorrigible 
offenders  against  his  government  and  laws.     This  attri- 
bute is  also  made  the  occasion  of  exhibiting  his  moral 
character,  inasmuch  as  he  is  governed  by  rectitude  in  its 
exercise.     Justice  yields  to  the  calls  of  mercy  only  when 
rectitude  will  allow,  however  strong  may  be  the  prompt- 
ings of  mere  compassion ;  and  in  the  contest,  the  moral 
predominates  over  the  natural,  and  God  is  seen  to  be 
holy   in   the   sustentation   of  his  justice,   without   im- 
pairing his  goodness.     In  his  compassion,  God  pities  the 
sinner;    his  language   is,   "How  shall  I  give  thee  up, 
Ephraim  ?  how  shall  I  deliver  thee,  Israel  ?  how  shall  I 
make  thee  as  Admah  ?  how  shall  I  set  thee  as  Zeboim  ?" 
But  in  his  holiness  he  disapproves  and  dislikes  him  for 
his  character  and  conduct;  "thou  hatest  all  workers  of 
iniquity." — Ps.  5 : 5.     And  in  his  dread  justice  he  de- 
clares, "  The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell,  and  all  the 
nations  that  forget  God." — Ps.  9 :  17.     There  are  various 
other  holy  traits  in  the  divine  character,  the  considera- 
tion of  which  must  be  postponed  for  the  present. 

/.  Will  you  have  the   goodness   to   explain    what 
ultimate  end  God  proposes  to   accomplish  by  means 


ELEMENTS  OF  HOLY  CHARACTER.     59 

of  the  administration  of  his  government  over  moral 
creatures  ? 

P.  I  will ;  premising  that,  on  account  of  the  depravity 
of  their  natures,  mankind  are  incompetent  to  decide 
that  principle  by  their  mere  reason.  If  they  follow  the 
dictates  of  their  hearts^  their  premises  will  be  false ;  their 
reasonings  from  such  premises  may  be  sound,  and  their 
conclusions  therefrom  correct;  but  these  will  be  as  false 
to  the  truth  as  the  premises  themselves.  We  can  rely 
with  entire  safety  only  on  the  declarations  of  God  him- 
self in  the  Scriptures ;  and  he  must  surely  be  considered 
the  most  competent,  and  the  best  entitled  to  decide 
authoritatively  on  the  point. 

/.  Certainly,  his  exposition  of  his  own  principles  of 
action  must  be  implicitly  received  by  us. 

P.  The  ultimate  end  which  God  designs  to  accomplish, 
is  the  promulgation  and  extension  of  his  own  glory. 
The  Scriptures  are  so  full  upon  this  point,  that  to  select 
proofs  is  not  difficult.  The  Old  Testament  abounds 
with  declarations  to  that  effect:  "Bring  my  sons  from 
far,  and  my  daughters  from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  even 
every  one  that  is  called  by  my  name;  for  I  have  created 
him  for  my  glory."— Is.  43 :  6,  7.  "The  Lord  hath  made 
all  things  for  himself."— Prov.  16:4;  Ps.  72:19;  Mai. 
2:2;  Is.  63  :  12,  and  48 :  11 ;  Jer.  13  :  11.  The  New 
Testament  is  equally  explicit.  "Who  hath  called  us 
unto  his  eternal  glory." — 1  Pet.  5 :  10.  It  was  the  ulti- 
mate end  at  which  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  aimed  in  every 
action:  "I  have  glorified  thee  on  the  earth,  I  have  fin- 
ished the  work  which  thou  gavest  me  to  do;  and  now, 
0  Father,  glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self,  with  the 
glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  world  was." — 


60  CONVERSION. 

John  17 :  4,  5.  "Father  glorify  thy  name!  Then  came 
there  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  I  have  both  glorified 
it,  and  will  glorify  it  again." — John  12  :  28.  It  was  the 
end  which  the  apostles  kept  strictly  in  view :  "Pray  for 
us,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free  course  and 
be  glorified."— 2  Thess.  8 : 1,  and  1 :  12 ;  Phil.  4  :  20.  It 
was  the  chief  thing  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  God. 
"And  the  shepherds  returned,  glorifying  and  praising 
God." — Luke  2:20.  "And  immediately  he  received 
his  sight,  and  followed  him,  glorifying  God;  and  all  the 
people,  when  they  saw  it,  gave  praise  unto  God." — Luke 
18 :  48.  "And  they  glorified  God  in  me."— Gal.  1 :  24. 
The  spirits  in  heaven  are  engrossed  in  the  same  object. 
"And  they  sing  the  song  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God, 
and  the  song  of  the  Lamb,  saying,  Great  and  marvel- 
lous are  thy  works,  Lord  God  Almighty;  just  and  true 
are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of  saints:  Who  shall  not  fear 
thee,  0  Lord,  and  glorify  thy  name?  for  thou  only 
art  holy."— Eev.  15  : 8,  4.  For  the  glory  of  God  did 
lighten  the  city,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof." — 
Eev.  21:28;  Luke  2: 18,  14. 

L  No  possible  proof  could  be  more  conclusive. 

P.  For  the  promotion  of  his  glory,  God,  in  the  admin- 
istration of  his  government,  has  promulgated  various 
laws  or  authoritative  rules  of  conduct,  which  are  to  be 
our  guides  in  life.  Superadded  to  these,  is  the  require- 
ment to  make  his  glory  the  chief  end  in  all  our  services. 
"Whether  therefore  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye 
do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."— 1  Cor.  10:  81.  "And 
whatsoever  ye  do,  do  it  heartily  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not 
unto  men." — Col.  8: 28.  "By  whom  we  rejoice  in  hope 
of  the  glory  of  God."— Rom.  5 : 2, 


ELEMENTS  OF  HOLY  CHARACTEB.     61 

/.  Our  duty  is  plainly  taught  in  the  Scriptures.  What 
is  intended  by  the  glory  of  God? 

P,  The  development  of  his  character;  or  the  exhibition, 
in  all  their  approvableness  and  loveliness,  of  his  natural 
and  moral  attributes.  In  the  work  of  creation  of  the 
material  universe,  God  developed  many  of  his  natural 
attributes  in  great  power  and  beauty.  He  exhibited 
such  depth  of  knowledge,  such  profundity  of  wisdom 
and  forethought,  and  such  a  degree  of  physical  power 
in  forming  and  establishing  the  multitudes  of  systems 
which  now  roll  in  the  expanse  of  infinite  space,  that,  in  the 
view,  "the  morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the  sons 
of  God  shouted  for  joy." — Job  38 :  7.  In  his  creation  of 
man,  and  in  his  wise  and  holy  government  over  him,  he 
displays  his  vast  knowledge,  his  wisdom,  his  power, 
truth,  holiness,  faithfulness,  goodness,  forbearance,  grace, 
mercy,  justice,  and  the  like,  in  such  brilliant  forms,  that 
they  encircle  his  throne  as  a  lialo  of  heavenly  light. 
These  exhibitions  constitute  that  moral  glory,  which  his 
creatures  are  to  exemplify  in  their  principles  and  con- 
duct, and  are  to  extend  to  the  knowledge  and  love  of 
mankind,  so  far  as  they  have  abihty.  These  traits  are 
now  seen  "as  through  a  glass,  darkly,"  because  of  the 
moral  obscuration  of  the  mind  of  the  beholder,  produced 
by  sin  within  and  around  him. 

L  What  is  intended  by  the  ^^heauty  of  holiness,"  of 
which  so  much  is  spoken  in  the  Scriptures  ? 

P.  It  intends  the  moral  excellence  of  the  divine  char- 
acter, the  moral  luster  which  envelops  the  glory  of  God. 
It  is  the  splendor  of  that  moral  beauty,  into  a  perception 
and  love  of  which  the  soul  is  ushered  on  its  regeneration 
by  the  Holy  Spirit:  "Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in 
6 


62  CONVEESION. 

the  day  of  thy  power,  in  the  beauties  of  holiness  more 
than  the  womb  of  the  morning." — Ps.  110 :  8.  Watch 
the  early  morning,  as  it  unfolds  its  loveliness  to  the  eye 
that  is  cultivated  to  appreciate  natural  beauty.  "First 
appears  the  dull  light,  then  the  gray  streak,  then  the 
brighter  blushing  tinge,  until  at  last  the  orb  which  gives 
us  day  emerges  from  the  abyss  of  space,  and  pours  its 
golden  flood  through  the  slowly  scattering  mists.  The 
whole  prospect  is  covered  with  brightness  and  glory! 
The  lands  smile,  the  waters  sparkle,  the  dew-drops 
reflect  their  mimic  spangles,  the  green  foliage  waves 
gently  beneath  the  refreshing  breezes  of  the  morning, 
and  the  birds  carol  with  delight.  Men  arise,  and  go 
forth  and  rejoice  I  for  it  is  day,  and  the  sun  has  gone 
out  on  the  errand  of  its  Creator  to  diffuse  light,  and 
life,  and  gladness."  The  beauties  of  holiness  as  infin- 
itely transcend  those  of  the  opening  morning,  as  does 
moral  beauty  in  its  own  nature  exceed  the  natural. 
The  brightness,  the  splendor,  the  peerless  magnificence 
which,  emanating  from  the  high  principles,  exalted 
character,  and  matchless  goodness  of  Jehovah,  exhibit 
him  HOLY,  JUST,  and  good,  cast  their  own  beauty 
around  the  children  of  the  light,  and  entrance  their 
hearts  as  they  are  changed  into  the  same  image,  pro- 
gressing from  glory  to  glory.  The  expressions  of 
delight  and  praise  which  we  are  accustomed  to  hear 
from  the  new  convert  to  Christ,  spring  from  his  percep- 
tion and  love  of  the  divine  majesty,  excellence,  and 
beauty ;  but  his  untutored  tongue  can  find  no  language 
adequately  to  portray  his  deep  emotions.  The  veteran 
saint,  he  who  has  well  learned  the  language  of  the  spir- 
itual Canaan,  is  to  be  heard  exclaiming,  "O  worship  the 


ELEMENTS  OF  HOLY  CHARACTER.     63 

Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness!" — Ps.  96 : 9.  "Let  the 
beauty  of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon  us." — Ps.  90 :  17. 
"One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord, — to  behold  the 
beauty  of  the  Lord,  and  to  inquire  in  his  temple." — Ps. 
27 : 4.  And  when  this  desire  is  granted,  we  hear  its 
results  in  the  overflowing  soul:  "As  the  hart  panteth 
after  the  water-brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O 
God!" — Ps.  42  : 1.  And  when  at  last  the  soul  is  ushered 
into  the  presence-chamber  of  its  Father  and  its  God,  and 
casts  its  crown  before  him  there,  its  full-toned  praise  is 
poured  forth  amid  ten  thousand  voices,  "Holy,  holy, 
holy.  Lord  God  Almighty,  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  thy 
glory!"  And  what  is  more  approvable  than  perfect 
rectitude?  What  can  be  more  estimable  than  a  per- 
fectly upright  character?  What  more  beautiful  and 
lovely  than  the  union  of  such  excellence  and  goodness 
in  a  Parent  and  a  Sovereign? 

I.  I  can  conceive  of  nothing  superior;  and  can 
imagine  no  end  of  active  existence  which  is  more 
worthy  of  man^  or  more   honorable   to   God. 

P.  If  God  ultimately  designed  his  own  personal 
gratification,  he  would  be  liable  to  unmitigated  censure. 
But  so  far  from  this  being  the  fact,  it  forms  no  part  of 
his  considerations.  It  is  his  moral,  and  not  his  natural 
self,  that  he  loves  and  pursues.  He  loves  his  glory, 
not  because  it  is  his  own^  but  because  it  is  intrinsically 
excellent  and  lovely,  and  is  so  worthy  of  his  regard ;  and 
doubtless  were  there  a  being  more  glorious  than  himself, 
he  would  love  him  with  a  superior  ardor;  but  this  would 
be  impossible.  For  the  same  reason,  he  loves  every 
one  who  partakes,  however  faintly,  of  his  own  moral 
image;  and  it  is  such  a  moral  likeness  to  himself  that 


64  CONVERSION. 

he  requires  his  creatures  to  attain  in  their  degree,  and 
into  which  regeneration  is  intended  to  introduce  them. 
— Eom.  8  :  29. 

I.  And  bj  such  means,  regeneration  produces  a 
moral  union  between  himself  and  his  creatures? 

P.  Yes.  And  to  this  end,  amongst  others,  he  requires 
our  hearts,  because  the  heart  is  the  moral  man.  "  With 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness." — Eom.  10 : 
10.  "My  son,  give  me  thy  heart."— Prov.  23 :  26.  "For 
in  Jesus  Christ  neither  circumcision  availeth  any  thing, 
nor  uncircumcision,  but  faith  which  worketh  by  love." — 
Gal.  5 :  6.  "Make  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit,  for 
why  will  ye  die?" — Ez.  18 :  31.  Unless  it  is  our  purpose 
of  heart  to  glorify  God  in  our  actions,  he  cannot  accept 
of  them,  or  of  us  in  them,  as  being  done  unto  Mm.  And 
besides,  it  is  obviously  indispensable  that  the  beneficiaries 
of  his  bounties  should  exercise  right  affections  in  return, 
in  order  to  his  approbation  and  regard.  And  further, 
the  new  heart  is  indispensable,  because  without  it  no  one 
would  be  capable  of  entering  into  the  boly  occupations, 
or  of  enjoying  the  peculiar  blessedness,  of  heaven.  It 
is  not  an  unnecessary  command,  therefore,  "Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart.''— Matt.  22 :  37. 
Under  the  impulses  of  such  a  love,  the  believer  will  be 
steadily  fruitful  in  good  works;  and  thus  the  love  of 
the  glory  of  God  will  be  seen  to  be  the  most  unfail- 
ing and  permanently  useful  motive  influence  which  is 
known  to  man.  In  requiring  us  to  love  himself,  he 
necessarily  requires  us  to  love  him  preferably  to  any 
and  all  other  objects;  because  his  glory  is  intrinsically 
superior  and  more  attractive,  and,  if  loved  at  all,  it  must 
be  in  preference  to  all  other  things. 


ELEMENTS    OF    HOLY    CHARACTER.  65 

L  Will  you  now  please  to  state  precisely  what  con- 
stitutes a  holy  character? 

P.  The  holy  character  of  God  springs,  if  that  expres- 
sion may  be  allowed,  from  his  devotion  to  his  own  glory 
as  his  ultimate  object.  You  will  remember  that  we 
ascertained  that  the  character  of  a  person  or  agent  was 
determined  by  that  of  his  ultimate  object;  and  this  prin- 
ciple applies  as  well  to  God,  as  to  other  moral  beings. 
The  holiness  of  his  glory,  combined  with  his  devotion 
to  its  promotion,  by  means  of  his  universal  creation 
and  of  the  administration  of  his  legal  creative  rights 
over  his  moral  creatures,  renders  his  character  holy; 
for  the  moral  image  of  the  object  is  reflected  upon 
and  transferred  to  his  own  heart.  God  is  perfectly 
holy,  because  his  glory  is  perfect,  and  because  he 
loves  it  with  the  most  profound  devotion,  and  pursues 
it  with  an  unwavering  purpose.  He  is  infinitely  holy, 
because  he  ever  has  been  thus  devoted  to,  and  ever 
will  thus  love  and  pursue  it.  And  he  is  immutably 
holy,  because  his  purpose  will  never  know  of  a  change. 
The  holy  character  of  angels  and  glorified  saints  in 
heaven  arises  from  the  same  supreme  devotion  to  the 
divine  glory;  and  their  superiority  in  degree  over 
saints  on  earth  results  from  the  greater  depth  of  their 
devotion  to  it,  and  the  unwavering  influence  of  it 
upon  their  feelings  and  conduct  there.  In  like  man- 
ner, the  holy  character  of  men  is  determined  by  their 
superior  devotion  to  the  same  object;  and  their  imper- 
fections of  heart  and  life  arise  from  its  influences  being 
temporarily  supplanted  or  suspended. 

I.  I  can  now  understand  it  clearly. 

P,  And  you  can  also  see  what  God  would  have  us 
6^ 


C)Q  CONVEKSiON. 

become.  SucTi  a  devotion  to  his  glory  is  the  Christian 
reHgion.  It  is  that  which  Christ,  who  had  no  sins  to 
avoid  and  no  pardon  to  hope  for,  possessed  in  its 
perfection;  and  who  is  set  forth  as  our  example,  that 
we  should  be  followers  of  him.  And  who  can  devise 
a  nobler?  The  soul  that  enters  into  it,  possesses  God 
himself,  being  made  a  joint  heir  with  Christ. — Rom. 
8 :  17.  He  is  adopted,  justified,  directed  upon  a  pro- 
cess of  sanctification,  and  at  last  glorified  with  Christ 
in  his  heavenly  kingdom.- — Eom.  8 :  30.  There  he  will 
enter  into  all  its  holy  blessedness.  Delivered  from 
every  sin  and  sorrow,  his  soul  will  rejoice  in  God,  the 
infinitely  glorious  one,  who,  as  an  unfailing  fountain, 
will  ever  afford  a  supply  of  spiritual  food,  so  that  it  will 
never  languish.  Exalted  to  a  conformity,  in  kind,  to 
the  image  of  his  Creator,  pardoned  through  the  unmer- 
ited grace  of  Christ,  blessed  with  every  thing  the  most 
unbounded  desires  of  his  holy  heart  can  grasp,  and  an 
infinite  existence  before  him  in  which  to  enjoy  theifl, 
surely  he  will  find  that  "in  his  presence  is  fullness  of 
joy,  and  at  his  right  hand  there  are  pleasures  for  ever- 
more."—Ps.  16 :  11. 

/.  This  explains  the  answer  given  by  the  Westminster 
divines  to  the  question,  What  is  the  chief  end  of  man  ? 

P.  Yes.  As  they  truly  observe,  the  ultimate  end  of 
man  is  to  glorify  God ;  and  from  a  heart  bent  on  glo- 
rifying him,  proceeds  his  capacity  to  enjoy  him  for 
ever.  Having  now  ascertained  what  God  would  have 
us  become,  we  will  proceed  to  examine  what  he  would 
have  us  avoid. 


CHAPTER  iV. 


ELEMENTS  OP  UNHOLY   CHARACTEBl 


Pastor.  The  Scriptures,  in  forms  almost  innumerable, 
allege  that  "all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory 
of  God  "  (Kom.  3:23);  that  all  are  originally  deficient  in 
that  holy  character  which  springs  from  a  supreme  devo- 
tion to  the  divine  glory.  We  will  now  inquire  into  the 
cause  of  such  a  sinful  state.  You  are  aware  that  in  your 
ordinary  conduct  you  act  freely;  and  that  you  always 
have  some  reason  for  acting,  or  some  object  to  attain 
in  whatever  you  do.  These,  as  we  have  seen,  are 
essential  characteristics  of  every  moral  agent. 

Inquirer.  I  well  know  that  there  is  always  some  reason 
which  influences  my  conduct;  for  if  there  were  none, 
I  should  never  act  at  all. 

P.  For  the  sake  of  greater  perspicuity,  let  us  now 
recur  to  the  earlier  period  of  your  life,  before  you  had 
indulged  that  hope  in  Christ  which  we  have  examined. 
You  are  well  aware  that  you  then  committed  many 
sinful  acts,  although  you  may  not,  at  the  time,  have 
paused  to  examine  their  character;  which,  however, 
cannot  affect  their  sinfulness.  In  these  actions,  you 
was  governed  by  some  reason  or  object:  Can  you 
inform  me  what  influenced  you  to  do  them? 

/.  I  suppose  my  sinful  desires  and  inclinations 
prompted  me  to  such  conduct. 


68  CONVERSION. 

P.  No  doubt.  Persons  under  your  then  circum- 
stances, always  act  from  the  impulse  of  some  desire; 
and  when  passion  moves  them,  it  is  by  the  desire  in- 
cluded in  it.     But  what  rendered  your  desires  sinful  f 

I.  I  have  not  given  the  subject  sufficient  examination 
to  answer  decidedly.     Will  you  explain  the  reason  ? 

P.  Was  it  not  a  desire  to  please  yourself,  in  some 
form,  that  then  induced  you  to  do  things  which  you 
knew,  or  might  have  known,  to  be  wrong? 

/.  Yes;  it  was  to  gratify  myself.  There  were  many 
things  I  never  should  have  done,  merely  to  gratify 
other  persons. 

P.  When  you  thought  one  course  would  give  you 
more  pleasure  than  another,  you  were  accustomed  to 
select  that;  and  when  any  proposed  course  seemed 
onerous  or  unpleasant,  you  would  desist  from  it  on  that 
account  ? 

I.  Certainly ;  every  body  acts  in  that  way. 

P.  Let  me  illustrate  this  principle.  Suppose  that  this 
is  the  Sabbath,  and  that  we  observe  N.  passing  along 
with  his  gun  and  dogs,  in  pursuit  of  game.  I  remon- 
strate against  his  disregard  of  the  divine  authority  by 
violating  the  Lord's  day ;  and  he  assures  me  it  had  not 
occurred  to  him  that  he  was  disobeying  God,  and  that 
he  had  no  seriously -formed  intention  to  do  so.  But,  I 
reply,  you  are  doing  it  nevertheless,  and  are  guilty  in 
his  sight.  Why  are  you  out  to-day,  knowing  it  to  be  the 
Sabbath?  He  answers,  I  felt  a  desire  to  go  out,  and 
went  to  gratify  my  inclinations.  But,  I  rejoin,  you  had 
some  reason  why  you  desired  it — some  object  which  you 
wished  to  accomplish  by  it?  Yes,  he  replies,  to  shoot 
some  game.    But,  I  ask,  why  desire  to  shoot  some  game? 


ELEMENTS    OP    UNHOLY    CHAKACTER.        69 

For  the  sport  of  it,  he  replies.  And  yon  desire  the 
diversion  of  hunting  because  it  promotes  your  pleasure 
and  happiness;  so  that  it  is  your  love  of  pleasure  or 
happiness  which  makes  you  disobey  God  by  violating 
the  day  which  he  has  commanded  us  to  remember  to 
keep  holy?  Yes,  he  replies,  that  is  my  reason;  for  if  I 
was  confident  of  finding  no  pleasure  in  it,  I  should  at 
once  retrace  my  steps  homeward.  This  illustration 
sufiiciently  explains  the  principle  that  it  is  the  desire 
to  please  one's  self,  and  to  promote  his  own  supposed 
interests  or  happiness,  that  influences  a  person  to  dis- 
obey God. 

Z  I  see  the  principle  clearly. 

P.  And  do  you  not  see  also  that,  in  your  own  case, 
whenever  you  did  wrong  at  that  period  of  life,  it  was 
from  a  desire  to  gratify  yourself,  and  to  promote  your 
own  pleasure  and  happiness  by  means  of  it  ? 

/.  Yes,  that  was  the  reason.  If  there  was  no  pleasure 
in  sin,  no  one  would  commit  it;  but  I  did  not  always 
succeed. 

P.  Your  disappointment  does  not  aifect  the  principle. 
You  expected  to  succeed  at  the  time,  else  you  would  not 
have  done  the  thing.  The  capability  of  taking  pleasure 
is  constitutional,  and  is  therefore  a  natural  good  when 
properly  exercised.  But  the  evil  in  the  supposed  case 
of  N.  was  that  he  desired  happiness  too  much ;  in  other 
words,  that  he  preferred  it  to  the  authority  and  glory  of 
God.  It  was  his  preference  of  his  own  pleasure  that 
induced  him  to  disobey,  in  order  to  its  gratification; 
whereas,  had  he  preferred  the  authority  and  glory  of 
God,  it  would  have  led  him  to  observe  the  Sabbath, 
and  to  restrain  all  those  desires  which  conflicted  with  it. 


70  CONVERSION. 

It  is  clear  that  all  the  works  of  God  are  created  suitable 
to  the  happiness  of  man;  and  in  this  the  Creator  ex- 
hibits his  great  goodness.  But  the  happiness  he  designed 
was  to  be  held  in  subordination  to  himself,  and  to  be 
taken  in  the  discharge  of  our  duties,  and  in  the  contem- 
plation and  promotion  of  his  glory.  By  preferring 
himself  and  his  happiness  to  his  Creator  and  his  glory, 
the  sinner  rejects  him,  overlooks  his  duties,  incapacitates 
himself  to  take  such  holy  enjoyment,  and  perverts  the 
holy  design  of  God  into  an  occasion  of  moral  evil. 

L  I  perceive  and  admit  the  correctness  of  this  view. 

P.  A  desire  is  a  feeling  of  the  mind  which  is  directed 
to  the  attainment  of  some  object;  while  a  preference  is 
a  desire  for  one  object  more  than  for  another.  A  person 
may  have  a  desire  for  two  things ;  but  if  he  so  desires  one 
of  them  as  to  choose  it  rather  than  the  other,  he  evinces 
a  preference  of  it  to  that  other.  And  there  may  be  two 
things,  for  the  first  of  which  he  has  no  desire,  while  he 
indulges  one  for  the  second;  his  desire  for  the  second 
stands  alone  and  independent  of  the  other,  and  it  will 
be  necessarily  exercised  as  a  preference  to  it.  A  pre- 
ference does  not  necessarily  imply  a  vehement  or  ardent 
state  of  the  desires  or  emotions ;  but  simply  that,  whether 
mild  or  fervent,  the  desire  is  strongest  and  most  influen- 
tial for  the  preferred  object.  In  the  case  of  K,  as  in 
your  own  previous  to  indulging  that  hope,  there  was  no 
desire  for  the  authority  and  glory  of  God.  The  desire 
for  his  own  interest,  gain,  pleasure,  or  whatever  else 
would  confer  happiness,  was  alone  and  independent  of 
God,  and  consequently  existed  as  a  preference  to  God. 

Z  Yes;  I  perceive  such  would  be  the  fact. 

P.  And  when  you  did  wrong,  the  desire  for  your  own 


ELEMENTS    OF    UJSUOLY    CHARACTER.        71 

interest,  gain,  advantage,  or  pleasure,  (for  they  are  all 
the  same  in  principle,  since  they  are  desired  for  the  sake 
of  your  own  ulterior  gratification  or  happiness,)  existed 
independently,  and  consequently  as  a  preference  to  the 
authority  and  glory  of  God,  and  influenced  you  as  such. 

/.  Yes;  for  I  had  not  been  converted,  and  of  course 
had  no  proper  regard  for  him.  Besides,  I  am  conscious 
of  that  deficiency. 

P.  When  you  exercised  anger  or  any  other  passion, 
for  example,  it  was  done  to  gratify  the  passion,  or  your- 
self by  its  indulgence  ? 

L  Yes;  and  therefore  I  found  it  so  difficult  to  check 
my  passions.  When  I  foresaw  trouble  from  indulging 
them,  restraint  was  more  easy.  But  I  have  sometimes 
acted  to  please  others? 

P.  But  it  was  ultimately  to  advance  some  interest  of 
your  own,  or  to  please  yourself.  You  did  it  to  gratify 
some  private  feeling  toward  them,  or  to  avoid  ridicule 
or  censure,  or  to  promote  something  for  yourself  by 
their  means. 

/.  You  are  correct.  I  had  myself  in  view  in  some 
form,  though  I  did  not  always  pause  to  consider  that  fact. 

P,  Because  the  desire  to  please  yourself,  and  to  pro- 
mote your  own  supposed  interests  had  become  such  an 
habitual  influence,  that  it  moved  you  almost  without 
reflection.  And  such  was  the  case  on  aU  subjects, 
whether  secular  or  religious. 

I.  True ;  and  that  accounts  for  my  failure  to  analyze 
my  motives. 

P.  Eeflection  will  deepen  the  conviction  that,  in  your 
unregenerate  days,  the  desires  for  your  own  happiness, 
to  be  promoted  by  forwarding  your  personal  interests, 


72  OONVE-ESION. 

gain,  advantage,  or  enjoyments,  uniformly  influenced 
your  conduct;  and  that  your  own  gratification  or  hap- 
piness, in  some  form,  was  invariably  the  ultimate  end 
which  you  had  in  view  in  all  your  actions. 

L  It  is  very  obvious  to  me  now. 

P.  Selfishness  consists  in  this  preference  of  our  own 
happiness,  or  interests,  or  whatever  else  will  contribute 
to  our  pleasure.  Selfishness,  says  Dr.  Owen,  is  the 
making  a  man's  self  his  own  center,  beginning,  and  end, 
in  all  he  does.  Every  person,  says  Dr.  Payson,  has 
some  object  which  he  loves  supremely;  and,  in  every 
unrenewed  mind,  that  object  is  self.  And  the  apostle 
says,  "All  seek  their  owny — Phil.  2:21.  Self,  as  you 
are  aware,  is  loved  for  its  interests  and  happiness. 

I.  It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  self-interest  is  the  gov- 
erning principle  among  mankind. 

P.  This  selfishness,  or  preference  of  one's  own  interest, 
pleasure  or  happiness,  is  the  cause  of  all  the  evil  passions 
that  exist,  and  of  all  the  injurious  conduct  that  is  perpe- 
trated in  the  world.  Look  abroad  upon  society,  and 
you  will  see  its  developments  in  horrible  realities.  Why 
do  we  find  some  indulging  in  pride,  worldly  show  and 
extravagance,  in  arrogance,  intolerance,  and  in  seeking 
the  praise  of  men  ?  It  is  simply  to  gratify  their  love  of 
their  own  selves.  Why  do  we  hear  of  so  many  plung- 
ing into  licentiousness,  debauchery,  intemperance; — in- 
dulging vicious  thoughts,  profane  language,  and  violating 
every  command  of  God  which  interferes  with  their 
pleasures?  It  is  to  gratify  this  preference  for  their  own 
enjoyments.  Whence  those  malignant  envyings  and 
other  passions 4;hat  rage  in  the  bosoms  of  many?  They 
are  produced  by  injuries,  real  or  supposed,  to  their  own 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.       73 

interests;  or  emanate  from  the  ill-will  of  a  soul  exclu- 
sively bent  on  itself.  I  might  enumerate  the  evils  and 
wrongs  which  curse  the  earth,  and  trace  them  all,  with- 
out exception,  to  man's  selfishness  as  their  source. 

/.  Selfishness,  then,  is  the  parent-principle  of  all  the 
wrong  doing  on  earth. 

P.  And  it  is,  consequently,  the  source  of  all  the  mis- 
ery which  exists  among  mankind.  The  selfishness  of 
our  first  parents  plunged  them,  and  their  posterity  after 
them,  into  wretchedness,  as  well  as  sin;  and  now  the 
pains  of  disease  and  death  come  upon  all.  Man  has 
become  the  greatest  enemy  of  man.  The  tears  and 
groans  of  the  afflicted,  caused  by  their  own  selfish  indul- 
gences, or  by  the  inhumanity  of  other's  selfishness,  fill 
the  earth ;  and  well  is  it  for  us,  that  a  veil  is  now  spread 
over  them — a  veil  which  is  to  be  removed,  when  God 
comes  forth  to  judge  the  world  in  righteousness. 

/.  You  no  doubt  attribute  it  to  the  right  cause. 

P.  And  selfishness  is  the  antagonist  principle  in  the 
human  heart  against  God.  Self,  or  God,  are  the  only 
ultimate  objects  which  moral  beings  ever  pursue;  and 
the  preference  of  one's  self  is  as  really  the  elevation  of 
himself  into  an  idol,  as  would  be  the  exaltation  of  Baal. 
There  may  be  many  objects  of  desire,  but  there  can  be 
only  one  object  of  ultimate  preference ;  the  pursuit  of  it 
will  be  exclusive  of  all  others;  and  it  will  make  all 
others  subordinate,  and,  if  possible,  subservient  to  it. 
Thus,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  case  of  iV!,  a  preference  of 
his  own  pleasure  or  happiness  led  him  to  disregard  the 
authority  and  overlook  the  glory  of  God,  in  his  feelings 
and  conduct ;  and  the  same  principle  governed  you  not 
only,  but  controls  every  unconverted  person  in  his 
7 


74  CONVERSIO^^. 

intentions  and  actions  toward  him.  Why  are  mankind, 
as  a  general  thing,  so  careless  of  the  ever-present  eye  of 
God,  and  of  his  rights  over  them,  and  of  their  continued 
transgressions  of  his  holy  law,  and  even  of  his  denuncia- 
tions of  wrath?  It  is  simply  because  they  are  engrossed 
in  themselves,  their  pursuits,  and  their  pleasures.  Why 
are  they  so  unanimously  disinclined  to  observe  the  laws 
of  the  divine  government,  to  exercise  the  humble  graces 
of  piety,  and  to  govern  their  daily  conduct  by  the  rules 
of  Christianity  ?  It  is  because  they  cannot  find  therein 
that  pleasure  which  they  so  much  prefer.  Why  do  all 
disrelish  the  holiness  of  God  ?  Because  it  is  an  antago- 
nist principle  to  their  own  selfishness.  Why  do  all 
dislike,  and  some  hate  with  the  deepest  intensity,  the 
punitive  justice  of  God?  Simply  and  only  because 
they  perceive  that  it  bodes  destruction  to  those  pleasures 
and  that  love  of  self  in  which  they  chiefly  delight.  I 
might  enlarge,  but  your  own  reflections  will  abundantly 
supply  examples  of  the  truth  of  my  position."^ 

/.  I  can  see  its  truth  with  the  utmost  clearness.  Why 
does  selfishness  appear  to  mankind  to  be  so  harmless  ? 

P.  Because  it  is  pleasurable,  and  they  love  it.  Besides, 
it  is  so  habitual  with  them,  as  to  have  lost  its  aspect  of 
sin;  and  as  they  really  care  nothing  about  God,  they 
have  no  heart-principle  by  which  to  decide  its  crimi- 
nality.    The  error  is  aided  by  the  fact  that  selfishness, 

*"The  absence  of  positive  good  principles,  leaving  the  common 
natural  principles  of  self-love,  natural  appetite,  &c.,  (which  were  in 
man  in  innocence,)  leaving  them,  I  say,  to  themselves,  without  the 
government  of  superior  principles,  will  certainly  be  followed  with  the 
corruption  of  the  whole  heart." — Edwaeds  on  Original  Sin. — Part 
IV.  Chap.  11,. 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.        75 

under  the  dictates  of  interest  or  policy,  can  induce  men 
to  perform  commendable  actions,  and  can  influence 
them  to  cultivate  amiable  feelings,  gentle  manners,  and 
make  loud  professions  of  right  principle.  It  has  been 
aptly  remarked,  that  men  seem  to  imagine  that  selfish- 
ness loses  most  of  its  guilt  by  losing  all  its  grossness; 
whereas  they  would  frown  upon  it  when  clothed  in 
malevolence.  It  is  neither  wise  nor  honest  to  give  the 
semblance  of  purity  to  the  substance  of  corruption ;  it  is 
to  steal  the  robe  of  righteousness  to  cover  the  deformity 
of  sin.  It  is  fitting  that  what  is  foul  within,  should  be 
foul  without  also.* 

/.  What  do  the  Scriptures  teach  on  these  points? 

P.  The  Scriptures  every  where  characterize  sinners 
as  being  selfish.  Thus,  the  apostle  describes  them  as 
"lovers  of  their  own  selves,"  and  as  "lovers  of  pleasures 
more  than  lovers  of  God." — 2  Tim.  3:2.4.  Pleasure,  as 
I  said,  is  loved  for  the  element  of  happiness  involved 
in  it;  and  the  ways  or  pursuits  of  pleasure,  for  the  happi- 
ness they  promise  to  confer.     The  same  apostle  rebukes 

*"  He  whose  religion  has  selfishness  for  its  basis,  *  does  good  to 
mankind  and  obeys,'  or  rather  fancies  he  obeys,  'the  will  of  God,'  not 
because  he  desires  the  good  of  mankind,  or  because  it  is  right  to 
obey  the  divine  will,  but  solely  to  avoid  future  punishment  and  obtain 
*  everlasting  happiness.'  Hence,  if  this  world  were  his  only  state  of 
existence,  he  would  trample  on  the  rights  of  others,  and  sacrifice  their 
interest,  whenever  they  happened  to  interfere  with  his  own.  And 
though  he  may  appear  to  make  some  sacrifice  to  the  wishes,  or  inter- 
ests, or  wants  of  others,  yet  it  is  in  no  degree  for  their  sake,  but 
wholly  for  his  own;  for,  unless  he  hoped  to  gain  by  it,  sooner  or 
later,  he  would  not  deny  himself  the  smallest  gratification  for  the 
sake  of  saving  others  from  the  greatest  evils,  or  securing  to  them 
the  most  important  benefits." — Park.  Mor.  Phi  Chap,  il  p.  27. 


7$  CONVERSION. 

such  selfishness,  and  enjoins  on  men  "not  henceforth  to 
live  unto  themselves ;"  (2  Cor.  5  :  15)  implying  that  our 
intellects  and  sensibilities  were  to  be  used  aright;  that 
the  latter  are  not  to  control  us.  The  desire  of  pro- 
perty, for  example,  was  not  designed  to  lead  us  to  rob  or 
defraud,  but  was  given  to  be  controlled  by  us.  We 
find  the  sacred  writers  often  using  the  words  sarx  and 
soma^  [meaning  literally  the  hody^  or  flesh,']  to  indicate 
substantially  the  same  idea  of  selfishness.  When  used 
in  a  metaphorical  sense,  they  intend  those  feelings  of  the 
mind,  and  corresponding  actions  of  the  body,  which  are 
produced  by  a  preference  of  one's  own  gratification  or 
happiness.  These  they  denominate  the  ivoi^ks  of  the  flesh. 
"Walk  in  the  Spirit,  and  ye  shall  not  fulfill  the  lusts  of 
the  flesh,"  the  desires  for  personal  gratifications  by 
means  of  the  body. — Gal.  5:16.  "Now  the  works  of 
the  flesh  are  manifest,  which  are  these :  adultery,  lascivi- 
ousness,  idolatry,  witchcraft,  hatred,  variance,  emulations, 
wrath,  strifes,  envyings,  murders,  drunkenness,  and  such 
like."— Gal.  5 :  19—21.  "So,  then,  they  that  are  in  the 
flesh  [under  the  domination  of  their  desires  of  pleas- 
ures] cannot  please  God." — Eom.  8:8,  and  13;  Jude 
23;  John  6:63. 

I.  I  thank  you  for  this  explanation. 

P.  Happiness  in  the  position  of  a  preference,  or  thing 
loved  and  pursued  more  than  God,  is  selfish ;  and  such 
pursuit  of  it  is  also  selfish,  for  its  own  character  is  trans- 
ferred to  him  who  is  devoted  to  it,  and  also  to  all  his 
desires,  purposes,  affections,  hopes,  pleasures,  and  con- 
duct. This  is  the  unregenerate  state.  Its  moral  opposite 
is  the  regenerate  state,  or  that  where  the  authority  and 
glory  of  God  are  preferred,  and  where  new  desires,  pur- 


ELEMENTS    OP    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.        77 

poses,  and  affections  exist  and  terminate  on  God;  where- 
by his  holy  character  becomes  impressed  on  the  soul, 
in  some  degree. 

I.  Will  you  state  the  precise  points  of  opposition  in 
which  the  sinner  places  himself  against  God? 

P.  There  are  three  principal  points  of  diversity,  the 
combined  results  of  which  produce  an  entire  hostility  of 
heart,  and  an  unrelieved  departure  from  duty,  against 
God.  The  first  is  the  sinner's  claim  to  a  right  to 
control  himself,  in  opposition  to  the  proprietary  right 
of  God  to  govern  him.  This  claim  is  seldom  put  forth 
in  words,  but  is  invariably  asserted  in  practice.  He 
tacitly  assumes  the  ownership  of  himself,  and  an  exemp- 
tion from  all  control  but  his  own ;  and  uniformly  evinces 
it  in  his  conduct.  How  soon  his  anger  is  aroused,  if  this 
claim  is  interfered  with?  And  how  profoundly  would 
he  contemn  a  fellow-being  who  should  endeavor  to 
dominate  over  him?  The  claim  is,  without  reflection 
or  argument,  extended  to  God;  for  in  his  exclusion  of 
others,  his  independent  spirit  makes  no  exceptions. 
They  "despise  government;  presumptuous  are  they,  and 
self-willed:'— 2VQi.  2:10.  They  declare  "Our  lips  are 
our  own:  Who  is  Lord  over  us  ?" — Ps.  12 : 4.  The  crea- 
tive right  of  God  being  such  an  antagonist  principle,  it 
can  exert  no  motive  influence  over  the  mind  of  the  sin- 
ner while  in  his  selfish  pursuits;  and  on  this  account 
many  try  to  discard  it,  and  to  substitute  in  its  place 
some  consideration  which  is  adapted  to  their  selfish 
desires,  and  which  will  leave  this  claim  to  self-control 
unaffected  in  practice.  Among  other  devices,  nothing 
is  more  common  than  to  select  the  compassion  or  benev- 
olence of  God,  mistaking  it  for  his  trait  of  mercy;  and 
7* 


78  CONVERSION. 

to  combine  with  it  his  wisdom  and  power,  excluding 
his  justice.  From  thence  they  infer  that  he  will  do 
sinners  the  greatest  good  they  can  desire;  and  then 
propose  to  serve  him  on  that  account.  By  such  a  pro- 
cess, the  sinner's  unregenerate  desires  are  gratified,  and 
his  hostile  principle  is  retained,  while  he  seems  to  be 
enlisted  for  God!  The  same  is  seen  in  his  always  de- 
manding some  reason,  other  than  God's  creative  right, 
why  he  should  obey.  But  God  expressly  disallows  this 
claim  :   "Ye  are  not  your  own." — 1  Cor.  6 :  19. 

L  I  confess  that  I  formerly  acted  upon  this  same 
implied  claim  of  self-ownership,  and  consequent  self-con- 
trol ;  but  it  was  done  unconsciously.  Still,  I  am  aware 
that  my  doing  it  so  habitually  as  not  to  be  alive  to  the 
fact,  and  my  neglect  to  discern  the  deep  hostile  principle 
toward  the  Creator  involved  in  it,  does  not  absolve 
me  from  censure. 

P.  The  second  point,  is  the  sinner's  elevation  of  his 
own  interests  or  happiness,  as  a  more  desirable  end  to  be 
accomplished,  in  disregard  or  opposition  to  the  glory  of 
God.  By  making  himself  the  end  of  his  desires  and 
purposes,  he  excludes  all  others  from  that  position  of 
course,  and  God  with  them.  The  Scriptures  designate 
this  as  the  pursuit  of  '■'■his  own  pleasures."  Thus,  the 
drunkard  pursues  his  own  pleasures  in  the  inebriating 
cup;  the  gambler,  in  spoiling  his  victim;  the  sensualist, 
in  the  ruin  of  innocence.  Said  Henry  Martyn,  "men 
frequently  admire  me,  and  I  am  pleased ;  but  I  abhor 
the  pleasure."  It  was  the  pleasure  of  gratified  pride, 
unvirtuous  and  criminal;  as  indeed  all  pleasure  must  be 
which  is  taken  in  opposition  to  God,  in  transgression  of 
duty  to  others,  or  in  fostering  and  gratifying  the  evil 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.        79 

desires  or  passions  of  the  heart.  Bent  thus  on  his  own 
pleasures,  it  was  to  be  expected  that  the  sinner  would 
endeavor  to  substitute  them  for  those  holy  pleasures 
which  flow  from  a  superior  devotion  to  the  divine  glory ; 
and  that  in  his  inquiries  and  eiforts  he  should  seek  to 
obliterate  the- latter,  as  unknown  to  his  own  conscious- 
ness— an  argument  which  only  proves  that  he  was  never 
regenerated — and  to  take  up  with  the  pleasures  of  a 
hope  of  his  own  ultimate  happiness,  with  its  attending 
exercises,  instead.  But  the  Creator  firmly  enjoins  upon 
him  to  turn  away  from  his  "  own  pleasure,"  and  to  honor 
Mm;  and  when  he  takes  delight,  to  take  it  in  holiness 
and  in  the  Lord. — Is.  68 :  13.  He  reproachfully  asks 
his  people,  "when  ye  fasted  and  mourned,  [mortified 
your  enjoyments]  did  ye  at  all  fast  unto  me?  And 
when  ye  did  eat  and  when  ye  did  drink,  [when  you 
took  enjoyment]  did  not  ye  eat  for  yourselves^  and  drink 
for  yourselves V — Zech.  7:5.  And  he  expresses  his 
purposes  toward  the  devotee  of  pleasure:  "Therefore 
hear  now  this,  thou  that  art  given  to  pleasures — therefore 
shall  evil  come  upon  thee;  thou  shalt  not  know  from 
whence  it  riseth :  and  mischief  shall  fall  upon  thee;  thou 
shalt  not  be  able  to  put  it  off;  and  desolation  shall 
come  upon  thee  suddenly,  which  thou  shalt  not  know." 
—Is.  47:8.  11. 

/.  I  can  clearly  perceive  that  the  seducing  nature  of 
pleasure,  has  very  much  blinded  me  to  its  evil  character 
when  improperly  enjoyed,  and  especially  when  placed 
in  antagonism  to  the  divine  glory. 

P.  The  third  point,  is  the  sinner's  unvaried  perversion 
of  the  means  of  grace  to  the  promotion  of  his  own  ends, 
in  opposition  to  the  command  of  God  that  they  should 


80  CONVEKSION. 

be  employed  to  the  promotion  of  his  glory  ultimately. 
The  Scriptures  condemn  this  course  under  the  appella- 
tion of  "his  own  ways,"  because,  whatever  they  may  be, 
whether  intrinsically  proper  or  improper,  they  are  chosen 
and  employed  to  promote  his  own  pleasurable  ends. 
"They  defiled  the  land  by  their  own  way^ — Ez.  36 :  17. 
"We  have  turned  every  one  to  his  own  wayT — Is.  53 :  (1 
It  was  to  be  expected,  therefore,  that  sinners  should 
direct  all  their  powers,  and  endeavor  to  subordinate  the 
gospel  and  all  its  duties  and  requirements  to  the  promo- 
tion of  their  own  ends,  rather  than  those  of  God.  Indeed, 
as  they  have  no  desire  for  the  aims  of  God,  they  can 
desire  and  appreciate  them  only  as  means  to  promote 
their  own;  and  hence  they  uniformly  pervert  them  to 
that  purpose.  They  thus  habitually  "yield  their  mem- 
bers as  instruments  of  unrighteousness  unto  sin^ — Eom. 
6 :  13.  Whereas  God  forbids  this  whole  course  of  pro- 
cedure: "Not  doing  thine  ovm  ways"  (Is.  58:13);  and 
he  not  only  directs,  "yield  yourselves  unto  GocV  as. 
your  great  superior  and  end,  but  enjoins,  "and  your 
members  as  instruments  of  righteousness  unto  Ood^''  unto 
the  promotion  of  his  glory. — Kom.  6 :  13. 

I.  I  begin  to  perceive  why  my  religious  efforts  were 
for  so  long  a  time  unavailing.  I  sought,  by  means  of 
them,  my  own  ends  rather  than  the  glory  of  God;  that 
is,  I  secretly  endeavored  to  sustain  myself  in  my  own 
principles  and  to  succeed  in  my  own  plans,  by  means 
of  instrumentalities  which  God  designed  only  for  his 
own  holy  purposes. 

P.  That  was  so.  You  will  observe  that  the  Scriptures 
do  not  authorize  the  unconverted  person  to  pursue  his 
own  happiness  ultimately,  even  though  he  makes  use  of 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.       81 

means  not  censurable  in  themselves,  the  promotion  of 
the  public  welfare,  for  example.  No  course,  however 
innocent  in  itself  considered,  can  properly  be  em- 
ployed as  means  to  conduce  to  such  an  end;  for  the 
end  itself  is  forbidden  as  unholy  and  antagonistic  to 
God.  The  command  is,  not  that  the  sinner  should 
decline  to  promote  his  own  ends  by  improper  means; 
but  that  he  shall  not  use  any  means  whatever  to  pro- 
mote his  selfish  aims.'  It  is  "that  they  which  live 
should  not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves^  but  unto 
Christ." — 2  Cor.  5 :  15.  Thus,  while  the  promotion  of 
the  public  welfare,  when  properly  pursued,  is  a  correct 
procedure,  it  will  be  perverted  to  an  occasion  of  moral 
evil,  if  used  as  a  means  to  the  sinner's  personal  aims; 
and  it  will  be  made  an  occasion  of  moral  good,  if  used 
as  subordinate  to  God,  and  if  made  subservient  to  his 
glory  as  the  ultimate  end.  There  is  no  moral  worth  in 
that  happiness  which  the  sinner  desires,  in  view  of 
which  he  can  act,  but  it  is  wholly  immoral;  and  it  is 
forfeited  by  his  sins;  either  of  which  considerations  is 
sufficient  to  justify  God  in  forbidding  his  pursuit  of  it 
in  any  degree.  His  desires  for  it  cannot  be  moderated 
in  a  moral  sense,  except  by  acquiring  a  superior  regard 
to  the  divine  glory;  for  until  then,  whether  they  are 
vehement  or  mild,  his  own  advantage  or  happiness  will 
be  preferred.  In  the  sinner,  self-love  can  never  be  a 
morally  good  influence;  it  may,  indeed,  prompt  him  to 
consider  and  act  for  his  own  ultimate  good  more  care- 
fully than  would  his  mere  passions,  and  in  that  view  it 
might  seem  to  be  a  good  impulse  (Ps.  49  :  18);  but  it  is 
suited  only  to  forward  the  interests  of  self,  and  is  there- 
fore a  selfish  influence,  in  whatever  form  it  may  appear. 


82  CONVERSION. 

It  never,  in  the  sinner's  heart,  prompts  to  the  love  of  the 
glory  of  God ;  but  in  that  of  the  Christian  it  does,  and 
therefore  becomes  a  morally  good  influence  in  his  case. 
Nor  does  it  ever  influence  the  sinner  to  pursue  what  is, 
really,  his  best  good;  for,  however  he  may  disguise  the 
fact,  it  necessarily  terminates  upon  his  selfish  happiness. 
He  can  know  nothing  of  the  best  good — namely,  that 
of  loving  the  glory  of  God  and  of  enjoying  the  light 
of  his  countenance  (Ps.  4 :  6) — until,  by  conversion,  he 
has  experienced  it ;  and  then  only  can  self-love  guide 
him  to  that  which  is  such  greatest  good.  The  Fa- 
thers were  right,  therefore,  in  using,  in  respect  to  the 
sinner,  the  term  self-love  as  synonymous  with  selfish- 
ness; and  in  regarding  its  influences,  as  purely  selfish 
motives. 

I.  The  Scriptures  declare  that  we  are  "  by  nature  the 
children  of  wrath,  even  as  others." — Eph.  2 :  8.  What 
are  we  to  understand  by  the  doctrine  of  the  total  moral 
depravity  of  the  natural  heart? 

P.  That  it  is  exclusively  selfish,  and  therefore  unholy. 
It  does  not  imply  that  all  men  indulge  in  the  grossest 
passions,  or  in  the  worst  possible  courses  of  external 
conduct;  nor  even  that  their  outward  conduct  is  always 
censurable,  considered  apart  from  the  principles  which 
control  the  agents;  for,  as  we  have  seen,  wicked  men 
may  perform  many  right  actions.  But  it  does  imply 
that  the  sinner's  principles  are  unholy,  that  his  affec- 
tions are  estranged  from  God,  that  his  passions  are  lia- 
ble to  malevolence,  and  that  his  entire  conduct  is  an 
infraction  of  his  obligations  toward  God.  "The  carnal 
mind  [the  purpose,  desire,  will  of  the  flesh,  that  is,  the 
predominant  desire  and  purpose  of  self-gratification,  or 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.        83 

selfishness]  is  enmity  [the  cause  or  source  of  hostility,  or 
discord]  against  God;  for  it  is  not  subject  [not  subordi- 
nate] to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be,"  since  it 
is  an  antagonist  principle. — ^Rom.  8:7.     It  must  be  de- 
stroyed as  such  a  principle.     "For  I  know  that  in  me 
(that  is,  in  my  flesh)  [in  my  selfish  heart  and  affections] 
dwelleth  no  good  thing." — Rom.  7 :  18.    The  reasons  of  its 
hostility  to  God  we  have  already  seen.    It  is  self-evident 
that  God  cannot  approve,  but  must  wholly  and  entirely 
disapprove  of  such  hostility  to  every  thing  that  is  holy 
in  himself;  and  that,  disapproving  the  selfish  heart,  he 
can  approve  or  accept  of  nothing  that  proceeds  from  it, 
or  under  its  influence ;  for  as  it  is  the  criminal  cause  of 
all  sin,  all  its  streams  must  partake  of  the  moral  pollu- 
tion of  their  source,  and  be  stamped  with  its  depravity. 
This  selfish  state  of  the  natural  heart  is  depraved^  be- 
cause being  so  in  hostility  to  the  highest  virtue  and 
moral  excellence,  it  is  the  seat  and  the  occasion  of  all 
moral  vitiosity  and  corruption.     It  is  a  rrwral  depravity, 
both  because  it  consists  in  the  perversion  of  the  will,  and 
because  it  is  the  free  act  of  the  sinner,  being  pursued 
from  considerations  which  he  freely  chooses; — in  which 
view,  his  conscience  always  imputes  the  blame  to  him- 
self.     And   it   is   total  moral  depravity,   because  such 
depraved  considerations  invariably  govern  all  his  feel- 
ings and  all  his  conduct,  however  amiable  or  unamiable 
they  may  be,  or  may  appear  to  mankind. 

/.  We  are  too  apt  to  attach  depravity  only  to  grossly 
wicked  external  conduct,  or  to  the  baser  and  malignant 
passions;  but  regarded  in  respect  to  our  principles,  and 
the  feelings  they  tend  to  produce  against  God,  the  doc- 
trine is  sustained  by  the  universal  history  of  our  race. 


84:  CONVERSION. 

As  our  practices  always  flow  from  our  principles,  the 
latter  must  decide  the  whole  question. 

P.  Let  us  now  notice  some  of  the  results  of  the 
relative  positions  of  God  and  sinners.  The  first  is,  that 
they  are  in  the  most  decided  opposition  that  is  possible 
to  moral  beings,  that  of  principle,  feeling,  and  pursuits. 
And  it  is  impossible  that  the  sinner  can  be  reconciled  to 
God,  except  by  going  over  to  his  principles;  for  his 
own,  God  will  never  abandon.  Another  is  that,  as  God 
most  cordially  approves  of  his  own  principles  and  char- 
acter as  the  height  of  moral  excellcDce,  he  must  dis- 
approve of  the  sinner,  with  his  opposing  principles  and 
character,  as  the  extreme  of  moral  deformity;  and  this 
estimation  can  undergo  no  change  while  the  sinner 
retains  his  hostile  position.  Another  is  that,  as  God  is 
always  governed  in  his  feelings  by  his  moral  sentiments, 
he  most  cordially  dislikes  the  sinner  on  account  of  his 
principles  and  character.  He  compassionates  his  con- 
dition and  prospects;  but  he  has  displacency  toward 
him  at  the  same  time  for  his  character  and  conduct. 
"  Thou  hatest  all  workers  of  iniquity,"  (Ps.  5 : 5,)  not 
the  iniquity  only,  but  the  workers  of  it,  the  persons  for 
their  iniquities ;— not  with  a  revengeful  or  malignant 
hatred,  but  with  a  virtuous  indignation,  a  holy  anger 
(Ps.  7 :  11),  because  directed  by  holiness  against  sin  and 
the  sinner.  If  we  would  measure  the  intensity  of  this 
abhorrence,  we  must  be  able  to  comprehend  the  depth 
of  his  love  to  his  own  glory,  which  the  sinner 
would,  were  his  principles  legitimately  pursued,  certainly 
destroy;  the  degree  of  his  interest  in  the  holy  good  of 
his  obedient  creatures  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  all  of 
which  the  sinner  would  demolish;    and  the  extent  of 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.        85 

misery  which  the  sinner  by  his  conduct  compels  him, 
as  a  just  governor,  to  inflict  on  the  incorrigible,  and 
from  which  all  his  sympathies  revolt.  Could  we 
clearly  comprehend  the  force  of  such  considerations, 
we  should  not  only  perceive  the  necessity  laid  upon 
God  to  administer  rigid  justice,  but  also  the  full  deserts 
of  the  sinner  himself;  and  we  would  cease  to  wonder  at 
the  terrible  -exhibition  which  the  Scriptures  make  of  the 
wrath  of  God:  "And  my  fury,  it  upheld  me." — Is.  63  :  5. 
And  another  result  is,  that  God  will  certainly  punish  the 
incorrigible  sinner  with  "everlasting  destruction  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of  his 
power." — 2  Thess.  1 :  9.  The  sinner  disobeys  God, 
insults  and  dishonors  him,  hates  him  when  he  dares 
permit  his  feelings  to  flow  forth,  and  sometimes  abhors 
him. — Zech.  11 :  8.  Horrid  as  was  the  prayer  of  that 
abandoned  one,  "0  that  I  were  stronger  than  God,  or 
that  there  were  some  more  powerful  God  than  he,  that 
he  might  be  dragged  from  his  throne,  and  prostrated 
beneath  our  feet!"  it  lies  concealed  in  the  folds  of  the 
sinner's  heart;  and  eternity  will  echo  with  the  vain 
expression  of  it,  even  if  circumstances  should  never 
excite  such  an  idea  in  this  life.  God  is  reduced  to 
the  necessity  of  punishment;  the  sentence  has  already 
gone  forth,  and  impends  over  every  sinner,  and  is 
delayed  in  its  execution  only  by  a  forbearance  that  is 
as  wonderful  as  it  is  kind  (Eccl.  8: 11);  but  "their  foot 
shall  slide  in  due  time."— Deut.  32  :  35. 

I.  Terrible  as  these  truths  are,  God  is  holy,  just,  and 

good.      Could   we  suppose   him  to  feel   and   purpose 

differently — could  we  believe  that  he  would  abandon  his 

own  holy   principles  and  character,   in    favor  of  the 

8 


86  CONVERSION. 

sinner's — that  he  could  bring  himself  to  approve  instead 
of  disapproving  him,  to  take  complacency  instead  of  dis- 
placency  in  him,  to  love  instead  of  abhorring  him,  and 
to  reward  instead  of  punishing  him  for  his  principles, 
feelings,  and  conduct — we  could  not  forbear  a  virtuous 
disapproval  and  indignation  toward  God  himself,  and 
a  regret  that  such  a  being  ever  created  or  upheld  and 
governed  the  world.  But  the  mere  supposition  seems 
blasphemous.  No  doubt  the  sinner  must  go  over  to 
God,  or  be  damned.  O,  how  I  dread  an  error  on  that 
point  of  duty,  since  a  mistake  there  must  be  so  fatal ! 

P.  True;  and  therefore  let  no  consideration  on  earth 
prevent  you  from  now  pursuing  a  patient  examination 
of  it;  and  if  you  have  made  any  mistakes,  ascertain 
them  promptly,  in  order  that  you  may  correct  them,  and 
be  ready  when  the  Master  calls. 

/.  With  the  divine  aid,  I  will  devote  my  whole  atten- 
tion, candidly  and  honestly,  to  that  subject;  and  will 
implicitly  follow  your  advice. 

P.  Let  us  proceed.  The  time  when,  or  the  place 
where  a  person  expects  to  secure  some  desired  object, 
cannot  in  the  least  affect  his  moral  character  in  the 
pursuit  of  it,  for  that  depends  exclusively  upon  the 
character  of  his  motive,  or  of  the  object  sought.  Thus, 
if  you  should  desire  to  promote  some  personal  interest 
of  your  own,  it  would  be  a  selfish  desire;  if  you  should, 
under  its  promptings,  set  about  some  act  whereby  you 
hoped  to  secure  such  personal  interest  immediately,  it 
would  be  a  selfish  action ;  and  if  you  expected  to  obtain 
the  happiness  to-morrow,  or  next  year,  or  after  the 
lapse  of  five  hundred  years,  the  act  would  still  remain 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.        87 

selfish,  for  the  object  would  be  the  same,  and  the  time 
of  securing  it  would  be  immaterial  to  its  character. 

I.  These  principles  are  evidently  true. 

P.  But  ^YQ  hundred  years  hence  you  will  be  in  the 
eternal  state  of  existence;  so  that  if  you  should  act 
for  the  ultimate  promotion  of  your  personal  happiness 
in  eternity,  it  would  be  as  selfish  as  though  you  had 
expected  to  reap  it  in  time. 

I.  Certainly ;  a  difference  in  the  periods  contemplated 
cannot  affect  the  character  of  such  an  action. 

P.  God  acts  for  his  own  glory,  and  is  therefore  holy. 
Sometimes  he  acts  with  a  view  of  advancing  it  on  earth, 
and  is  holy  in  so  doing;  and  sometimes  he  acts  with  a 
view  of  promoting  it  in  the  eternal  state,  and  he  is 
equally  holy  in  that.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  glorified 
his  Father  on  the  earth,  and  aimed  to  glorify  him  in 
eternity  (John  17 : 4,  5) ;  and  in  either  case  was  holy. 
The  same  is  true  of  Christians  on  earth.  And  the  same 
principle  applies  to  sinners,  in  respect  to  their  character. 
To  act  for  their  own  happiness  in  time  as  their  chief 
object,  stamps  them  selfish ;  and  to  do  so  for  eternity  is 
equally  selfish,  on  the  same  principle  that  to  act  for  the 
glory  of  God  to  be  accomplished  in  the  eternal  state  was 
a  holy  act  in  Christ.  The  difference  in  the  character  of 
the  objects,  can  make  no  difference  in  the  principle. 

I,  Not  the  slightest. 

P.  This  world  is,  so  to  speak,  a  mere  parenthesis 
in  existence,  between  a  preceding  and  an  ensuing 
eternity;  and  is  soon  to  be  absorbed  in  an  unceasing 
state  of  duration.  The  soul  approaches  death  with  its 
habitual  selfish  desires  for  happiness  strengthened  by 
the  appalling  exigency  of  its  position ;  in  the  process  of 


88  '  CONVERSION. 

death  the  same  impressions  remain;  and  when  the  soul 
escapes  from  the  body,  (which  is  the  death  of  the  body) 
it  rises  with  the  same  desires,  and  reaches  forth  with 
inconceivable  intensity  to  grasp  its  happiness;  and  dis- 
appointment only  serves  to  stamp  its  selfish  character 
indelibly.  On  this  ground,  he  that  is  filthy  here,  will 
be  filthy  there,  still  and  for  ever. — Kev.  22 :  11. 

I.  I  perceive  that  death  can  no  more  affect  the  char- 
acter of  one's  desires,  than  would  our  starting  upon  a 
journey  to  some  foreign  land. 

P.  Admitting  the  selfish  soul  to  heaven  would  no 
more  adapt  him  to  the  enjoyment  of  its  holy  blessed- 
ness, than  would  the  admission  of  one  stone-blind  into 
a  brilliantly-illuminated  apartment  capacitate  him  to  per- 
ceive and  enjoy  the  surrounding  splendor.  Mr.  Part 
hurst,  in  his  Moral  Pkilosophy^  (chapter  ii.  page  29,) 
remarks:  "After  all,  there  is  no  danger  that  such 
happiness  as  is  enjoyed  in  heaven,  will  ever  be,  to  any 
sinner,  the  object  of  supreme  desire.  The  human  mind 
is  so  constituted  that  no  one  can  have  a  conception  of 
any  thing  which  is  different  in  kind  from  all  that  he  has 
experienced.  The  pleasures  of  rehgion  are,  like  their 
source,  different  in  kind  from  all  others.  Of  course 
those  who  have  never  tasted  these  pleasures,  cannot  have 
any  conception  of  them;  and  that  which  they  cannot 
conceive,  cannot  be  to  them  an  object  of  either  supreme 
or  subordinate  desire.  Therefore  the  future  happiness 
which  such  imagine  and  desire,  differs  not  in  kind  from 
what  they  enjoy  on  earth;  so  that  they  cannot  be 
shielded  from  the  imputation  of  selfishness,  by  alleging 
the  purity  and  celestial  nature  of  the  object  of  their 
pursuit.     As  to  those  who  have  enjoyed  a  foretaste  of 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.       89 

the  real  happiness  of  heaven,  they  love  God  supremely, 
and  their  neighbor  as  themselves;  and  of  course  regard 
their  own  happiness,  even  in  eternity,  as  a  subordinate 
object." 

/.  His  position  is  on  the  principle  that  the  desire  of 
pleasure  by  the  gambler,  for  example,  would  undergo 
no  change  in  its  detestable  character,  by  means  of  his 
hoping  for  and  pursuing  the  enjoyment  of  it  in  the 
company  of  the  moral  and  virtuous,  and  at  some  dis- 
tant day  ?  The  excellence  of  the  anticipated  company, 
and  the  postponement  of  its  enjoyment,  could  not  make 
that  pure  which  is  intrinsically  evil. 

P,  You  are  right.  "We  have  seen  that  one  may  be 
amiable  in  his  feelings,  that  is,  may  have  a  good  natural 
disposition  or  character,  and  may  be  correct  in  his  ex- 
ternal deportment,  and  so  may  be  accomplishing  good 
actions;  but  that,  as  his  personal  moral  character  is 
determined  by  his  motives  or  objects,  unless  these  are 
morally  approvable,  he  cannot  be  morally  approved  and 
accepted  in  such  feelings  and  conduct.  Thus,  "the 
plowing  of  the  wicked  [however  necessary  and  right  in 
respect  to  his  own  necessities]  is  5m,"  is  the  occasion 
of  his  sinning  against  God,  inasmuch  as  the  object  of 
every  wicked  man  therein  is  selfish,  and  the  divine 
glory  is  consequently  thrown  out  of  view. — Prov.  21 : 4. 
Mankind,  looking  merely  at  the  person's  industry, 
and  the  benefits  of  it  to  himself,  his  family,  and  the 
community,  would  approve;  but  God,  looking  at  the 
involved  antagonism  to  his  superior  rights,  must  disap- 
prove of  him  in  such  conduct.  Hence,  what  is  highly 
esteemed  among  men,  may  be  abomination  in  the  sight 
of  God.— Luke  16: 15. 
8* 


90  CONVERSION. 

I.  I  see  the  distinction  veiy  clearly. 

P.  To  apply  it  more  particularly  :  One  may  live  irre- 
proachably moral  as  respects  mankind;  he  may  be 
amiable  in  his  disposition,  kind  to  the  poor,  generous 
toward  religious  and  benevolent  institutions,  honest  in 
all  his  dealings,  benevolent,  patriotic,  and  philanthropic 
in  his  impulses — may  respect  the  wisdom,  power,  and 
other  natural  attributes  of  God — may  be  pleased  with  his 
compassion  and  benefactions — may  be  a  strict  observer 
of  the  Sabbath,  of  his  family  duties,  and  indeed  of  all 
the  external  requirements  both  of  the  law  and  gospel 
— and  every  observer  would  pronounce  his  actions  to  be 
good;  but  if  he  is  selfish,  if  he  is  deficient  in  a  holy 
motive,  if  he  does  not  act  from  a  supreme  regard  to  the 
glory  of  God,  his  moral  character  therein  cannot  be 
approved,  nor  he  be  accepted  by  Ood.  He  "passes 
over  judgment  and  the  love  of  OodJ''  and  it  may  be 
said  of  him,^as  in  the  case  before  noticed,  "these  things 
ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the  other  un- 
done."— Luke  11 :  42.  "Though  I  bestow  all  my  goods 
to  feed  the  poor,  and  though  I  give  my  body  to  be 
burned,  and  have  not  charity,  [love  to  God  and  his 
glory]  it  profiteth  me  nothing." — 1  Cor.  18:3. 

/.  Certainly;  I  can  readily  perceive  that  no  one  can 
be  Iwly  in  such  feelings  and  conduct  unless  they  are 
prompted  by  a  preference,  of  the  glory  of  God;  and  it 
is  evident  that  no  one  can  be  accepted  unless  his  char- 
acter is  holy  therein.  "For  not  he  that  commendeth 
himself  is  approved,  but  whom  the  Lord  commendeth." 
—2  Cor.  10:18. 

P.  In  closing  this  part  of  our  inquiry,  let  me  request 
your  particular  attention  to  a  point  which  is  indispensa- 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.        91 

ble  to  a  correct  understanding  of  subjects  which  will 
arise  hereafter.  It  relates  to  the  radical  difference  be- 
tween acting  from  principle,  or  a  love  of  right  as  it  is 
seen  to  exist  in  our  relations  with  others,  and  from  a 
perception  of  and  desire  for  any  course  as  the  proper  or 
right  way  to  effect  some  ulterior  object. 

/.  Will  you  please  illustrate  the  difference? 

P.  Suppose  we  should  see  0.  advancing,  while  rumi- 
nating upon  various  plans  of  acquiring  money,  to  which 
he  is  most  inordinately  attached.  At  the  same  time  we 
perceive  that  the  house  of  P.  is  taking  fire ;  and  we  call 
out  to  0.  and  request  him  to  give  the  alarm,  and  hasten 
with  us  to  extinguish  the  gathering  flames.  0.  utterly 
refuses,  alleging  that  he  feels  no  interest  in  the  matter, 
since  the  preservation  of  the  house  can  afford  him  no 
pecuniary  gain ;  and  he  then  passes  onward.  Now,  it  is 
evident  that,  in  the  supposed  case,  0.  is  not  only  desti- 
tute of  the  ordinary  sympathies  of  humanity,  which 
might  prompt  others  to  render  that  assistance,  but  he  is 
also  destitute  of  love  to  the  rights  of  his  neighbor  over 
him ;  rights  which  he  can  perceive  and  would  admit  to 
exist,  and  which  he  would  be  the  first  to  insist  upon, 
were  he  in  a  like  situation  with  P.  We  should  have 
no  hesitation  in  pronouncing  him  unprincipled ;  nor  in 
referring  to  his  absorption  in  his  own  pecuniary  inter- 
ests as  the  cause  of  his  insensibility. 

/.  I  should  have  no  doubt  on  the  subject. 

P.  But  suppose  further,  that  in  consequence  of  our 
favorable  representations  of  the  wealth  and  generosity 
of  P.,  he  should  imbibe  the  idea  that  he  would,  in  all 
probability,  secure  a  large  pecuniary  recompense,  pro- 
vided he  should  render  him  prompt  assistance.     Stimu- 


92  CONVERSION. 

lated  by  the  love  of  gain,  and  with  a  view  to  acquire 
it  by  that  means,  0.  loudly  gives  the  alarm,  and  hastens 
toward  the  scene  of  the  conflagration.  His  character 
would  obviously  be  perfectly  selfish  in  the  transaction; 
for  whatever  he  might  know  or  admit  concerning  the 
rights  of  P.  as  a  fellow-creature,  it  is  evident  that  he 
would  be  moved  to  assist  him  solely  by  his  desire  for 
money,  and  his  hope  of  acquiring  it  by  those  means; 
that  is,  he  would  adopt  those  means  solely  with  a  view 
to  promote  his  pecuniary  interests? 

/.  Certainly;  it  would  be  an  unprincipled  act.  He 
would  be  governed  by  personal  considerations  exclu- 
sively; and  if  he  had  as  clear  a  perception  of  the  rights 
of  his  neighbor  as  a  fallen  angel  could  have,  it  would 
not  relieve  his  selfishness,  but  would  rather  increase  its 
deformity,  inasmuch  as  he  would  then  be  acting  in 
conscious  dereliction  of  a  known  virtuous  principle. 

P.  Suppose  we  should  warn  0.  that  P.  would  never 
reward  him,  if  he  should  become  acquainted  with  his 
motives  and  his  previous  gross  refusal  to  aid  him,  and 
that  we  intended  to  apprise  him  of  the  whole  affair.  In 
consequence  of  this  check  upon  his  selfish  prospects,  0. 
pauses  in  his  course,  determined  to  leave  P.  and  his 
burning  house  to  their  fate,  since  he  could  gain  nothing 
by  his  efforts.     This  would  be  natural. 

I.  Certainly;  if  his  motive  is  destroyed,  if  his  object 
is  seen  to  be  beyond  his  reach,  he  will  stop  of  course. 

P.  But  suppose  a  new  plan  should  occur  to  him.  He 
thinks  that  if  P.  is  so  particular  about  people's  motives 
and  character,  he  can  secure  the  reward  by  accommo- 
dating him  in  those  respects.  After  casting  about  for 
that  precise  course  which  he  judges  will  best  promote 


ELEMENTS    OF    UNHOLY    CHARACTER.        93 

his  purposes,  he  settles  his  plan;  and,  with  a  view  to 
please  P.,  and  make  him  favorably  disposed  to  reward 
him,  and  from  a  perception,  as  he  supposes,  that  to 
please  him  will  thus  be  the  right  way  to  secure  the  reward, 
he  determines  to  assist  him ;  and  he  accordingly  hastens 
toward  the  scene.  Now,  it  would  be  obvious  that  he 
would  be  as  unprincipled  as  ever.  He  hnew  that  his 
neighbor  had  rights  over  him,  but  he  had  no  more  love 
nor  did  he  act  from  any  more  regard  for  them  than 
before.  On  the  contrary,  he  used  the  word  right  in 
the  sense  of  proper  or  suitable  for  his  object,  as  he 
judged.  He  preferred  his  own  interests,  and  desired  to 
use  those  means  as  the  supposed  feasible  way  of  pro- 
moting them;  so  that  his  desire  to  do  right,  as  he  might 
erroneously  call  it,  by  so  pleiising  .P.,  was  as  selfish  as 
his  desire  for  the  money  to  be  acquired  by  those  means, 
and  for  the  same  reason. 

/.  Undoubtedly;  it  would  be  a  mere  effort  to 
secure  his  own  ends.  In  his  eagerness,  he  would 
overlook  the  radical  difference,  and  would  confound 
a  desire  to  act  in  a  right  or  proper  way  to  acquire  the 
money,  with  a  love  of  the  rights  or  just  claims  of  his 
neighbor,  who  stands  in  the  relation  of  a  fellow- 
creature. 

P.  True;  and  suppose  we  should  convince  0.  of  it. 
Again  he  would  be  brought  to  a  stand.  But  suppose, 
as  a  last  resort  to  succeed  in  obtaining  the  money  from 
P.,  he  determines  effectually  to  please  him  by  acting 
from  a  love  of  his  rights  in  the  case,  that  is,  from  honest 
principle.  With  this  view,  he  admits  that  he  ought  to 
regard  his  rights  in  the  matter  of  saving  his  property 
from  destruction,  and  ostensibly  determines  to  help  him 


94  CONVERSION. 

on  that  principle.  He  now  thinks  he  has  succeeded  in 
securing  the  reward — that  he  has  taken  a  course  that 
will  certainly  please  P.,  and  make  him  favorable  in 
that  respect.  Feelings  of  pleasure,  proportioned  to  his 
previous  anxieties,  now  arise  in  his  mind,  which  become 
an  evidence  that  his  feelings  have  undergone  a  change 
on  the  subject;  and  looking  upon  P.  as  sure  to  be 
willing  to  reward  him,  he  feels  pleased  with  him  for  his 
anticipated  friendship,  regrets  his  late  unkind  feelings 
toward  him,  is  gratified  even  with  the  conflagration, 
since  its  occurrence  affords  such  an  opportunity  to  make 
money,  and  is  pleased  also  with  his  fellow-laborers  at 
the  fire,  because  they  act  as  a  foil,  enabling  him  to 
exhibit  his  own  superior  dexterity  and  alacrity  and 
desert  of  a  reward.  The  hope  of  success  produces  so 
much  pleasure,  that  he  becomes  entirely  confident  that 
he  has  now  struck  upon  the  right  way.  Now,  no 
uninterested  spectator,  who  understood  all  the  circum- 
stances, could  fail  of  perceiving  that  all  his  supposed 
regard  for  the  rights  of  P.  on  their  own  account,  and  all 
his  professed  action  upon  principle,  was  a  mere  mistake, 
a  delusion  produced  by  his  inordinate  love  of  his  own 
pecuniary  interests.  His  desires  were  the  same,  as 
before,  for  the  money;  his  ultimate  object  in  that  trans- 
action was  the  same  as  before,  the  money;  and  all  his 
means,  whatever  they  might  be  in  themselves  considered, 
were  adopted  for  the  sole  ultimate  purpose  of  securing 
the  money,  and  his  character  was  selfish  in  their  employ- 
ment. His  determination  to  act  from  right  principle 
was  futile,  because  it  was  itself  produced  by  a  pre-deter- 
mination  to  use  it  to  a  more  ulterior  purpose,  to  pros- 
titute it  to  his  own  ends;  and  therefore,  while  in  name 


ELEMENTS     OF     UNHOLY     CHARACTER.       95 

and  appearance  he  was  acting  from  a  love  to  the  rights 
of  P.,  in  reality  and  in  fact  he  had  no  such  feeling,  but 
was  subordinating  the  principle  to  the  love  of  his  own 
interests  as  the  supposed  right  way  to  effect  them. 

/.  It  is  clear  that  he  was  endeavoring  to  render 
virtue  subservient  to  the  ends  of  selfishness.  Of  course 
he  had  no  more  right  principle  than  before. 

P.  And  you  will  observe  that  his  supposed  change  of 
mind  consisted  merely  in  having  his  anxieties  relieved, 
and  his  love  of  money  gratified,  by  the  hope  that  he 
bad  at  last  found  the  feasible  way  to  succeed;  that  this 
hope  conferred  all  the  pleasure  he  felt  in  P.  as  his 
friend  in  the  matter;  that  it  produced  his  regret  on 
reflecting  upon  his  past  unkind  feelings,  and  contrasting 
them  with  his  present  views  of  the  supposed  kindness 
of  P.;  and,  in  fine,  his  satisfaction  with  his  fellow-labor- 
ers, the  fire,  and  every  thing  besides  which  seemed  to 
aid  him  in  the  affair.  His  change  was  not  to  a  love  of 
rectitude  in  the  case,  and  was  therefore  no  more  to  be 
depended  upon  than  his  previous  efforts  for  the  same 
object.  His  hope  of  securing  the  money  was  selfish; 
his  pleasure,  produced  in  view  of  the  acquisition  of  it, 
by  means  of  such  supposed  change  and  efforts,  was  also 
selfish;  and  all  the  gratitude  to  P.  and  gratification  in 
his  co-laborers  which  resulted  from  his  hope,  and  all  his 
subsequent  efforts,  and  all  his  other  feelings  of  fear  or 
joy,  were  equally  selfish. 

/.  Yes.  It  is  perfectly  evident  that  all  his  supposed 
changes,  pleasures,  hopes,  and  labors  were  in  view  of  his 
securing  his  pecuniary  interests  ultimately ;  and  that  as 
that  object  was  selfish,  its  character  was  transferred  to 


\)b  CONVERSION. 

all  those  exercises  and  efforts.  But  it  seems  to  me  it 
would  be  difficult  to  convince  0.  of  his  delusion,  until 
after  he  has  finished  his  labor  at  the  fire,  and,  on 
making  application  to  P.  for  a  reward,  he  should  be 
actually-  refused. 

P.  Not  so  very  difficult,  unless  he  was  predetermined 
to  be  foolish,  as  well  as  vicious.  His  mind  would  be 
open  to  a  perception  of  the  real  facts,  and,  if  he  would, 
to  a  conviction  of  his  error;  and  as  he  began  to  waver, 
and  found  that  with  his  doubt  of  success  his  pleasurable 
evidences  began  to  take  wing,  the  work  of  correction 
would  become  more  easy.  And  just  so  soon  as  he 
should  clearly  see  that,  notwithstanding  all  his  simu- 
lated effiDrts,  his  motives  were  as  objectionable  as  before, 
and  that  consequently  P.  would  not  reward  him,  he 
would  lose  the  hope  and  pleasure  he  had  just  enjoyed, 
and  might  reprove  himself  for  his  folly;  and  perhaps, 
if  he  should  declare  his  real  sentiments,  he  would  blame 
P.  for  refusing  to  reward  him  after  so  many  sincere 
efforts  on  his  part,  and  might  wish  that  his  house  might 
be  consumed; — for  there  is  no  limit  to  the  extremes 
to  which  disappointed  selfishness  will  resort 

I.  I  thank  you  for  this  explanation  of  the  difference 
between  acting  on  virtuous  principle,  and  endeavoring 
to  subordinate  it  to  selfish  ends.  They  are  moral  oppo- 
sites,  but  are  often  mistaken  one  for  another. 

P.  We  have  now  finished  all  I  wished  to  present 
preparatory  to  an  examination  of  the  moral  character  of 
your  early  religious  experiences.  In  pursuance  of  our 
original  plan,  we  have  investigated  your  early  exercises, 
have  ascertained  the  principles  upon  which  God  would 


ELEMENTS  OF  UNHOLY  CHARACTER.  97 

have  us  act,  and  have  developed  those  which  he  would 
have  us  avoid.  We  will  next  proceed,  after  noticing  a 
few  preliminary  points,  to  compare  your  experiences  with 
each  of  these  opposing  classes  of  principles;  and  as  the 
result,  you  will  be  enabled  to  decide  with  perfect  cer- 
tainty upon  the  moral  character  of  your  own.  If  any 
error  should  be  perceived,  you  will  then  be  in  a  position 
to  proceed  to  rectify  it;  whereas,  if  it  should  remain 
undetected,  and  if  it  be  fundamental,  you  can  never 
correct  it,  but  must  encounter  every  resulting  evil  con- 
sequence. 

I.  I  have  long  sought  precisely  such  information,  and 
shall  prize  it  beyond  every  other. 
9 


CHAPTER  V. 


MORAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  EXERCISES  BEPORE  ANALYZED. 


Pastor,  A  few  years  since,  the  Britisli  mail-steamer 
Tweed  was  totally  wrecked  in  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and 
several  of  the  passengers  and  crew  were  drowned. 
The  wife  of  one  of  the  crew,  residing  at  Southampton, 
the  mother  of  six  children,  on  being  abruptly  told  by  a 
neighbor  that  the  Tweed  was  lost,  and  that  all  hands 
had  perished,  fell  down  dead.  What  rendered  the 
circumstance  more  affecting  was,  that  the  husband  ar- 
rived safely  at  Southampton  a  short  time  after,  being 
one  of  the  persons  whose  lives  were  providentially 
saved. — I  have  given  this  narration,  for  the  purpose 
of  refreshing  your  mind  upon  two  or  three  principles 
of  much  importance.  The  first  is,  that  one  may  be 
very  sincere  in  his  belief,  and  yet  be  mistaken  in  point 
of  fact;  as  was  the  case  with  that  poor  woman. 

Inquirer.  And  as  is  of  very  ordinary  occurrence.  Our 
believing  a  thing  ever  so  firmly,  cannot  make  it  true; 
else  it  must  have  been  a  fact  that  her  husband  was 
drowned,  since  she  was  so  fully  persuaded  of  it. 

P.  The  next  is,  that  our  feelings  are  the  natural  result 
of  our  belief;  and  that  they  will  be  pleasant  or  painful 
according  as  it  is  adapted  to  produce  one  or  the  other. 
Thus,  the  belief  that  her  husband  was  lost,  naturally 
produced  feelings  of  great  anguish  in  the  mind  of  his 


CHARACTER    oF    E  X  PERIEN-0  ES.  99 

affectionate  wife;  and  the  shock  was  so  sudden  as 
entirely  to  unsettle  her  nervous  system,  and  destroy 
her  life.  Had  she  not  believed  the  report,  such 
results  would  not  have  occurred. 

I.  And  had  her  husband  been  lost,  but  had  she 
believed  that  he  was  among  the  saved,  it  would  have 
produced  pleasure,  because  of  her  evidently  strong 
affection  for  him. 

P,  Yes.  The  next  is,  that  such  feelings,  whether 
pleasurable  or  painful,  are  no  evidence  whatever  that  the 
thing  believed  is  true;  but  are  evidence  only  that  we 
believe  it  to  be  true.  Thus,  the  painful  feelings  of  that 
woman  were  no  proof  that  her  husband  was  lost;  but 
they  were  incontestible  evidence  that  she  sincerely  be- 
lieved he  was. 

/.  Yes;  and  had  he  been  drowned,  and  had  she  be- 
lieved him  to  be  safe,  the  happy  feelings  produced  by  it 
would  not  have  proved  that  he  had  been  saved,  but 
only  that  she  thought  he  had. 

P.  The  next  is,  that  as  our  belief  produces  pleasant 
or  unpleasant  feelings  according  to  the  state  of  our  hearts 
and  the  nature  of  the  thing  believed,  a  correction  of 
it  when  erroneous  will  necessarily  dispel  the  feelings  so 
produced,  and  will  introduce  such  others  as  the  cor- 
rected belief  is  calculated  to  excite.  Thus,  had  that 
woman  survived  the  painful  shock,  the  return  of  her 
husband  alive  and  well  would  have  corrected  her  belief, 
would  have  dispelled  her  anguish,  and  would  have 
produced  feelings  of  surprise  and  joy. 

/.  Yes;  and  the  contrary  results  would  have  occurred 
had  she  supposed  him  to  have  been  safe,  but  discovered 
afterwards  that  he  was  lost;  the  happy  feelings  of  the 


100  CONVEESION. 

one,  would  have  given  place  to  the  distress  of  the 
other. 

P,  The  next  is,  that  hope  will  produce  much  the 
same  feelings  as  the  full  belief.  Thus,  had  she,  as 
you  have  supposed,  had  some  reason  to  think  that  he 
was  among  the  saved,  the  hope  that  he  was  alive 
would  have  sustained  her  spirits;  and,  if  strong,  it 
would  have  dispelled  her  anxieties,  and  filled  her 
bosom  with  pleasurable  feelings  and  anticipations.  It 
would  answer  most  of  the  purposes  of  a  firm  belief, 
until  she  should  be  undeceived;  but  on  discovering 
the  death  of  her  husband,  her  hope  would  be  dispelled, 
and  its  pleasures  and  anticipations  would  cease. 

/.  Certainly.  Hope  is  merely  the  representative,  in 
our  minds,  of  success  in  our  desires  and  plans;  and 
when  we  become  aware  of  a  failure  therein,  it  will  cease 
of  course  with  all  its  pleasures,  and  leave  us  to  disap- 
pointment and  trouble. 

P,  Consequently  a  hope  of  having  succeeded  is  no 
evidence  whatever  that  we  have  been  successful;  but, 
like  belief,  is  evidence  merely  that  we  think  we  have 
been. 

I.  I  perceive  the  principle.  A  hope  of  enjoying  a 
thing,  while  it  produces  all  the  pleasures  of  anticipation, 
forms  not  the  least  valid  proof  that  we  shall  eventually 
acquire  it. 

P.  "We  will  now  recur  to  the  views  and  exercises 
which  you  so  constantly  entertained  previous  to  the 
indulgence  of  your  hope  in  Christ,  and  while  you  were 
confessedly  impenitent  and  unconverted.  You  will 
please  confine  your  attention  to  that  period,  for  a  few 
moments.     As  we  have  seen  in  your  own  case,  and  as 


CHARACTER  OF  EXPERIENCES.      101 

is  true  of  every  other  member  of  our  race,  except  Christ 
in  his  human  nature,  who  knew  no  sin,  (2  Cor.  5:21) 
you  were  then  perfectly  selfish  at  heart.  You  recollect 
that  you  had  loved  and  pursued  the  world  for  the  inter- 
est and  pleasure  it  afforded  yourself,  under  the  predom- 
inant, or  superior  and  controlling,  desire  of  your  own 
happiness. 

I.  Certainly.  And  I  can  perceive  now  that  it  was 
selfish. 

P.  And  you  looked  upon  religion  as  designed  for 
your  own  eternal  happiness ;  whereas,  like  every  thing 
besides,  it  is  intended  ultimately  to  promote  the  glory 
of  God.     In  that  respect,  also,  your  views  were  selfish. 

L  Yes,  in  common  with  all  other  sinners. 

P.  And  when,  in  early  life,  and  before  you  indulged 
that  hope,  you  sought  religion,  as  you  termed  it,  it  was 
with  an  ultimate  view  to  secure  your  deliverance  from 
punishment,  and  your  happiness  in  the  future  state. 
It  was  the  desire  of  this  which  influenced  you  to  pray, 
to  read  the  Bible,  and  to  do  all  those  things  which  you 
thought  would  aid  you.  This  also  induced  the  wish  to 
love  God,  to  please  him,  and  have  him  love  you  in 
return ;  and  it  made  you  seek  for  a  hope  of  pardon,  and 
for  an  evidence  of  a  hope  in  some  new  feelings  or 
change  of  heart,  as  you  called  it.  Your  ultimate  aim  in 
all  was  your  own  future  safety  and  happiness ;  it  was  for 
this  you  not  only  desired  these  things,  but  for  it  you 
used  every  means  of  which  you  was  possessed. 

L  I  see  it  very  plainly. 

P.  Of  course,  being  unconverted,  and  totally  depraved 
in  heart,  you  had  no  love  to  the  glory  of  God. 

L  No.     My  conscience  always  condemned  me  for  sin. 
9* 


102  CONVERSION. 

P.  And  as  you  became  convicted  of  your  sins  from 
time  to  time,  it  produced  desires  for  a  hope  as  a  means 
of  relief;  so  that  the  stronger  these  convictions  became, 
the  more  earnest  were  your  corresponding  endeavors 
after  pardon  and  acceptance,  and  consequently  the  more 
selfish  you  grew  in  their  pursuit  ? 

I.  Yes;  I  was  not  aware  of  it  at  the  time,  but  I  can 
now  perceive  it  most  clearly. 

P,  And  in  this  entirely  selfish  state  of  heart  you 
entered  upon  the  convictions  and  efforts  which  resulted 
in  that  hope  in  Christ  about  which  we  have  said  so 
much;  that  is,  you  began  them  from  a  supreme  desire 
to  promote  your  own  safety  and  peace,  and  you  contin* 
ued  them,  at  least  for  a  while,  with  the  same  view. 

/.  Yes.  All  sinners  must  be  selfish  on  the  start,  or 
when  they  commence  a  serious  examination  of  their 
prospects  and  a  determined  use  of  the  means  to  secure 
their  salvation. 

P,  Undoubtedly  they  will  all  be  selfish  then.     Let  us, 

if  you   please,   now  confine   our    attention    for  a  few 

moments  to  the  period  of  those  convictions  immediately 

preceding  the  hope  we  have  spoken  of.     You  remember 

that  you  then  encouraged  reflections  on  your  state  and 

prospects,  and  resorted  to  various  means  to  deepen  your 

feelings,  and  to  acquire  sorrow,  love,  and  other  right 

affections  before  God,  in  order  to  comply  with  the  terms 

of  acceptance  so  far  as  you  understood  them.     These 

efforts  and  feelings  were  all  selfish  of  course,  since  you 

sought  them  from  a  desire  for,  and  with  an  ultimate 

view  to,  your  own  safety  and  peace. 

/.  I  now  see  they  were. 

P.  Your  insensibility  to  the  love  of  God  alarmed  you 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  108 

in  reference  to  your  success,  and  your  fears  that  it 
might  prove  the  last  offer  of  sovereign  grace  increased 
that  alarm,  and  made  you  willing  to  renounce  every 
thing  that  hindered  your  salvation ;  these  were  all  sel- 
fish, being  produced  by  an  apprehended  disappointment 
in  your  object. 

/.  Yes,  I  see  it.  Indeed,  starting  with  such  selfish 
desires,  every  thing  I  did  or  felt  under  them  must  have 
been  selfish.  Of  course  all  sinners  are  selfish  during 
their  convictions,  and  up  to  the  period  of  their  conver- 
sion; which  consists,  I  suppose,  in  the  feelings  and 
actions  of  the  new  heairt. 

P.  Sinners  always  remain  supremely  selfish  until 
they  are  converted — as  you  truly  suppose. 

/.  Still,  I  thought  at  the  time  that  there  was  some- 
thing good  about  my  feelings,  which  encouraged  me  to 
hope  in  ultimately  succeeding. 

P.  That  was  because  they  were  so  ardent;  but  there 
can  be  nothing  morally  approvable  in  the  feelings  and 
efforts  produced  by  selfish  desires,  however  decided 
they  may  be ;  they  must  necessarily  be  morally  disap- 
provable.  Consequently,  yours  formed  no  valid  ground 
of  encouragement. 

/.  But  I  hoped  they  were  such  feelings  as  the  Spirit 
gives. 

P.  Conviction  of  sin  consists  in  a  remembrance  of 
our  guilty  conduct,  which  produces  entire  self  condem- 
nation therefor.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  conviction  reproves 
the  world  "of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment" 
(John  16:8);  and  by  his  censures  thro'  the  conscience 
of  the  sinner,  convinces  him  of  his  criminality  and 
desert  of  the  everlasting  displeasure  of  God.     These 


104  CONVERSION. 

condemnations  of  conscience  produce  remorse,  and  thus 
incidentally  arouse  the  anxieties  for  present  relief  and 
alarms  in  view  of  the  future,  of  the  selfish  heart.  These 
anxieties  and  alarms  are  not  the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  but 
are  the  mere  excitements  of  a  heart  alive  solely  to  its 
own  interests,  and  are  consequently  selfish.  It  is  like 
the  law  of  God,  which,  when  perceived  by  the  selfish 
mind,  frequently  so  disturbs  his  selfishness  as  to  produce 
all  manner  of  evil  desires  and  inimical  feelings,  which  it 
would  not  do  in  a  holy  one;  evincing  that  the  source 
and  fault  is  in  the  selfish  heart,  while  the  law  itself  is  not 
responsible  for  such  feelings,  but  remains  holy,  just,  and 
good. — Kom.  7 : 8. 12.  The  Holy  Spirit,  in  reproving  the 
sinner,  recalls  to  his  memory,  sometimes  like  a  sudden 
flash,  the  evils  of  his  past  life,  and  makes  his  conscience 
pass  judgment  of  condemnation  and  death  upon  him. 
At  this  point  the  selfish  heart  puts  forth  its  desires  and 
efforts,  perhaps  amid  much  regret  and  weeping,  for  its  own 
deliverance,  but  not  for  the  more  ultimate  glory  of  God ; 
for  which  feeling  the  Spirit  is  not  at  all  responsible,  but 
remains  holy  in  his  censures.  Whatever  encourage- 
ment the  sinner  may  be  disposed  to  take  to  himself 
from  such  selfish  feelings,  these  reproofs  are  rather  an 
evidence  of  the  disapprobation  of  God.  The  sinner  is 
already  condemned,  and  is  awaiting  the  execution  of  his 
sentence  of  eternal  death ;  and  this  charging  his  fault  to 
his  face  is  calculated  to  excite  a  sense  of  guilt,  and  to 
lead  him  to  justify  God  in  his  punishment.  It  may  be 
aptly  compared  to  the  censure  of  a  condemned  criminal 
by  an  earthly  judge,  who  is  about  to  pass  sentence  upon 
him.  He  enumerates  his  offences  in  order  to  make  him 
feel  the  justice  of  his  punishment;  and  he  may  also 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  105 

desire,  as  does  tlie  Spirit  with  the  sinner,  to  stir  him  up 
to  eventual  repentance ;  but  the  offender's  alarms,  anx- 
ieties, entreaties,  tears,  and  efforts  to  escape  the  impend- 
ing punishment,  do  not  lessen  the  judge's  aversion,  nor 
suspend  the  sentence,  nor  delay  its  execution.  So  far 
from  the  Spirit's  being  mollified  by  such  feelings,  it  will 
be  found  that  the  multitudes  who  have  gone  from  under 
the  gospel  to  the  perdition  of  ungodly  men,  have  mostly 
been  often  reproved  and  convicted  of  sin  by  him  while 
here,  as  an  earnest  of  their  guilt,  of  the  divine  dis- 
pleasure, and  of  their  impending  fate. 

/.  It  must  have  been  my  deceitful  heart,  which 
inclined  me  to  look  upon  conviction  of  sin  as  such 
an  indication  of  the  divine  favor. 

P.  The  passages  which  speak  of  a  good  work  being 
begun  in  the  heart,  as  in  Phillipians  1 : 6,  refer  to 
regeneration.  The  sinner's  feelings  under  conviction 
are  any  thing  but  morally  good  exercises;  for  the 
unconverted  and  depraved  heart  cannot  put  forth  any 
thing  commendable  in  the  sight  of  God. 

/.  I  am  satisfied  on  this  point;  and  that  all  the 
encouragement  I  derived  from  my  convictions  was 
groundless. 

P,  In  the  process  of  conviction,  you  came  up  to  the 
resolution  to  obey  the  Lord,  with  increasedly  stronger 
desires  to  secure  an  evidence,  either  immediate  or  grad- 
ual, of  your  acceptance,  pardon,  and  future  peace.  And 
the  others  to  whom  these  truths  apply,  arrived  at  the 
point  where  they  ostensibly  turned  to  the  Lord,  with 
the  same  desires. 

I.  Of  course,  as  my  desires  were  selfish  at  the  com* 
mencement  and  during  the  continuance  of  my  feelings 


108  CONVERSION. 

under  conviction,  they  were  equally  so  at  its  termina- 
V  tion ;  and  I  well  know  tliat  the  termination  of  conviction 
is  not  the  commencement  of  conversion.  Besides,  I  am 
conscious  that  such  was  the  fact.  But  I  must  observe 
that  I  have  placed  little  or  no  confidence  in  that  resolu- 
tion; and  that  my  dependence  has  been  more  on  the 
new  feelings  which  I  enjoyed  soon  afterwards. 

P.  However  that  may  be,  let  us  examine  your  exer- 
cises in  the  precise  order  in  which  they  occurred.  You 
had  in  vain  tried  every  other  way  to  secure  a  pardon 
and  acceptance;  and  that  course,  as  we  saw,  seemed 
to  be  your  last  resort. 

L  It  did. 

p.  Your  desires  to  take  the  right  course  for  pleasing 
God  and  securing  your  safety  and  peace  were  still 
strong ;  you  were  inclined  to  think  that  that  step 
might  prove  to  be  the  feasible  way  to  succeed;  and 
under  the  hope  that,  perhaps,  you  might  be  accepted 
and  delivered,  you  resolved  to  serve  the  Lord  in  the 
best  way  you  could.  This,  as  we  saw  at  first,  was  the 
position  you  took;  and  this  resolution  was  entirely  self- 
ish. It  proceeded  froin  desires  to  secure  your  own 
future  happiness;  it  was  entered  upon  with  that  aim, 
and  it  was  valued  only  as  a  means  to  that  end. 

I.  True ;  but  I  desired  to  do  right  also. 

P,  You  hnew^  as  always  before,  that  Glod  had  rights 
over  you,  but  you  had  no  new  desires  for  them ;  while 
you  took  that  course  as  the  supposed  right  way  to 
accomplish  your  existing  desires.  It  was  like  0.  in  the 
last  illustration,  who  knew  that  his  neighbor  P.  had  a 
right  to  his  aid  and  services,  but  who  resolved  to 
render  them  because  he  desired  the  money,  and  thought 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  107 

it  would  be  the  right  way  to  get  it,  which  he  mistook 
for  a  love  to  his  jiast  claims.  Had  you  seriously 
doubted  whether  that  procedure  would  secure  your 
welfare,  you  would  not  have  entered  upon  it,  as  we 
saw  at  first.  You  wished  to  find  and  take  that  way, 
for  the  same  reason  that  you  desired  future  happiness, 
and  the  mere  knowledge  of  the  rights  of  God  did  not 
affect  your  action. 

Z  I  am  convinced  I  acted  under  such  desire,  and  that 
there  was  no  principle  in  it.   What  should  I  have  done? 

P.  Had  you  given  your  heart  to  God,  with  a  love  to 
him  and  his  glory  superior  to  those  desires  for  yourself, 
it  would  have  been  the  required  duty.  Instead  of 
which,  you  resolved  solely  from  a  love  for,  and  with  a 
view  to  promote  your  own  safety  and  peace.  You 
was  "a  lover  of  pleasure  more  than  a  lover  of  God,"  for 
you  then  had  no  love  whatever  to  his  glory. 

/.  I  see  that  the  resolution  was  perfectly  selfish;  and 
that  my  distrust  of  it  was  well  founded.  It  is  clear 
that  it  was  not  conversion.  I  am  glad  to  know  it  in 
time ;  for  however  painful  it  is  to  discover  such  a  mis- 
take, it  is  all-important  to  me  to  get  right ;  and  that  I 
am  determined  upon,  at  all  events,  if  it  is  practicable. 

P.  That  is  weU  said.  The  truth,  however  unpleasant 
at  the  moment,  can  never  injure  us,  if  we  faithfully 
pursue  it. 

/.  I  felt  satisfied,  however,  with  being  on  the  side  of 
Christ. 

P.  But,  as  you  can  now  see,  in  order  to  ascertain 
whether  you  were  really  on  his  side,  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  determine  the  reason  why  you  took  that 
seeming  position. 


108  CONVERSION. 

/.*True;  but  I  did  not  think  of  tliat  at  the  time.  I 
wished  to  please  God 

P.  In  order  that  you  might  secure  his  favor,  and 
thereby  your  own  pardon  from  punishment  and  future 
peace;  which  was  purely  selfish.  The  Christian  has 
a  higher  and  nobler  object  in  his  desires  to  please  him, 
namely,  to  glorify  him  in  his  heart  and  life. 

I.  I  see  my  desire  to  please  God  was  selfish.  But 
my  conclusion  was  to  serve  him,  come  what  might. 

P.  So  you  said;  but  you  anticipated  that  his  favoi 
with  your  safety  and  peace  would  come,  and  you  acted  in 
view  of  that ;  which  is  pure  selfishness. 

/.  It  was  just  so.  Still,  I  did  not  hope  to  succeed  in 
securing  my  safety  and  peace  by  my  own  strength  or 
merits;  but  confided  in  Christ  alone  for  pardon  and 
eternal  happiness. 

P.  It  is  proper,  and  a  duty,  to  confide  in  Christ  for 
proper  things;  but  it  is  as  improper  to  depend  on  his 
aid  for  improper  things,  as  in  that  of  any  other  being, 
and  far  more  so.  You  trusted  in  him  for  assistance 
toward  your  selfish  ends,  by  means  of  his  pardoning 
favor  and  atoning  merits;  and  this  was  perfectly  selfish 
and  wicked.  It  would  no  doubt  be  wicked  to  rely  upon 
his  aid  to  help  you  violate  every  human  and  divine  law, 
and  .to  commit  all  conceivable  enormities ;  but  in  confid- 
ing in  him  to  aid  you  in  such  selfish  objects,  you,  in 
principle^  contemplate  that  very  thing;  for  selfishness  is 
the  parent-principle  and  producing  cause  of  all  sin  and 
evil,  and  he  would  have  upheld  it,  in  your  case,  by 
countenancing  your  selfish  plans,  and  would  thereby 
have  also  settled  the  principle  that  it  was  to  be  upheld 
in  all  others.     This  would  involve  his  renunciation  of 


CUAKACTEK    OF    EXPERIENCES.  109 

its  opposite,  the  glory  of  God ;  it  would  be  an  abandon- 
ment of  bis  own  boly  cbaracter,  which  results  from  his 
supreme  devotion  to  that  glory;  and  it  would  be  an 
assumption  of  a  selfish  and  unholy  character.  It  would 
destroy  the  work  of  the  atonement,  and  bring  sin  and 
ruin  on  the  universe;  for  Christ  is  God.  You  igno- 
rantly  sought  to  make  Christ  "a  minister  of  sin." 
Where,  however,  the  heart  is  supremely  fixed  on  God 
and  his  glory,  and  the  desires  of  the  soul  are  bent  on 
its  advancement  in  preference  to  every  thing  beside, 
and  where  the  soul  pants  to  be  delivered  from  unholi- 
ness  of  heart  and  life,  and  to  enter  into  the  presence- 
chamber  of  God,  that  it  may  enjoy,  praise,  and  ever 
promote  that  glory,  (Rom.  5 :  2)  then  to  trust  in  Christ 
for  remission  of  sins,  and  for  aid  in  such  noble  objects, 
is  right,  because  it  is  honorable  to  him ;  and  it  is  also 
a  high  privilege  and  duty  of  the  believer.  Christ  in 
return  will  accept  the  trust,  will  execute  it  faithfully, 
and  will  glorify  his  Father  in  presenting  that  soul 
"faultless  before  the  presence  of  his  glory." — Jude  24. 
But  how  different  is  this  from  your  dishonorable  reli- 
ance on  him  for  your  selfish  purposes  I 

Z  I  am  ashamed  and  confounded  at  my  selfish  pre- 
sumption. I  entirely  overlooked  the  moral  character 
of  the  thing  for  which  I  confided  in  him,  supposing  that 
the  mere  act  of  trusting  was  sufficient.  I  am  convinced 
that  all  such  trust  in  the  aid  of  Christ  is  unauthor- 
ized until  after  we  are  truly  devoted  to  those  objects 
which  are  according  to  his  will.  But  since  the  pursuit 
of  the  sinner's  own  happiness  ultimately  is  so  obviously 

selfish,  and  at  discord  with  the  divine  glory,  I  am  sur- 
10  ^ 


110  CONVERSION. 

prised  that  the  apostle  should  Tirge  us  to  work  it  out, 
even  with  fear  and  trembling. — Phil.  2 :  12. 

P.  He  only  seems  to  you  to  do  so,  in  consequence  of 
your  confounding  your  own  selfish  happiness,  with 
holiness  and  the  glory  of  God  and  its  enjoyment;  and 
from  your  erroneously  supposing  that  he  meant,  by  the 
term  salvation,  the  same  thing  that  you  and  all  other 
sinners  did.  The  direction  to  work  out  their  salvation 
with  fear  and  trembling,  was  not  given  to  unconverted 
men,  and  therefore  did  not  at  all  refer  to  their  effecting 
their  selfish  happiness  by  their  labors  and  exertions; 
but  it  was  addressed  to  the  saints  at  Philippi,  and  to 
those  who,  he  declares,  had  always  obeyed  since  their 
conversion.  We  must  be  careful  on  this  point;  for, 
as  you  might  give  many  encouragements  to  a  child 
which  you  would  not  to  an  enemy,  and  which  that 
enemy  would  not  be  authorized  to  apply  in  the  same 
sense  to  himself,  so  Christ  gives  many  directions  to  his 
children  and  friends,  with  which  his  enemies  have 
nothing  to  do.  And  this  is  one  of  them;  for  the 
salvation  which  he  commands  his  obedient  people  to 
work  out,  is  one  which  presupposes  them  to  be  regen- 
erated, and  is  only  another  name  for  holiness  and  its 
blessings;  and  so  far  from  implying  the  pursuit  of 
selfish  happiness,  it  intends  just  the  contrary.  The 
Scriptures  denominate  it  "the  salvation  of  God"  (Luke 
3:6;  Is.  52 :  10) ;  and  it  consists  in  that  holy  character 
and  course  of  conduct,  as  well  as  in  that  holy  blessed- 
ness, which  results  from  a  supreme  devotion  to  the 
glory  of  God ;  and  which  none  can  appreciate  or  enjoy 
until,  by  regeneration,  they  acquire  a  new  heart,  or  one 
which  is  supremely  bent  upon  God,  and  new-  desires  and 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  Ill 

affections  which  can  take  their  delight  in  his  glory. 
"Whoso  offereth  praise,  glorifieth  me;  and  to  him  that 
ordereth  his  conversation  aright,  will  I  show  the  salva- 
tion of  God."— Ps.  50:  23.  The  devotion  of  the  selfish 
heart  to  its  own  purposes  is  unholy;  but  where  self 
turns  to  God,  seeks  his  glory,  and  rejoices  in  his  love- 
liness and  goodness,  it  is  a  holy  act ;  and  the  resulting 
happiness,  partaking  of  the  character  of  its  source,  is 
virtuous  and  holy.  As  God  will  destroy  the  happiness 
of  him  who  retains  an  unholy  character,  because  it  is 
unholy ;  so  he  will  preserve  the  happiness  of  him  who 
is  of  a  holy  character,  because  it  is  holy.  It  was  the 
holy  joy  of  glorifying  his  Father,  and  of  possessing  the 
glory  which  he  had  with  him  before  the  world  was,  that 
induced  our  Lord  to  endure  the  cross. — John  17:4,  5; 
Heb.  12  :  2.  It  was  the  same  holy  enjoyment  in  glorify- 
ing God  that  formed  the  recompense  to  which  the  pious 
Moses  looked  in  his  trials  and  afflictions  with  the  people 
of  God. — Heb.  11 :  24 — 26.  And  such  is  the  holy  salva- 
tion which  all  believers  should  seek,  (for  sinners  cannot 
until  they  become  converted,)  and  which  they  shall 
surely  find:  "Keceiving  the  end  of  your  faith,  [the 
result  and  issue  of  your  love  and  faithfulness]  even  the 
salvation  of  your  souls." — 1  Pet.  1 :  9. 

/.  On  reflection,  it  is  evident  that  as  God  and  sinners 
have  adverse  bbjects  in  view,  the  enjoyment  which 
each  contemplates  from  their  promotion  must  be  as  dif- 
ferent in  character  as  are  their  sources.  And  yet  I  can 
see  how  liable  sinners  are  to  be  deceived  upon  this 
point,  since  they  know  of  only  their  own  objects,  and 
desire  only  the  happiness  flowing  from  the  love  of  them. 


112  CONVERSION. 

How  can  they  know  the  difference,  except  as  they  are 
taught  from  the  word  of  God  ? 

P,  They  cannot  (1  Cor.  2 :  14) ;  and  it  is  impossible 
even  to  conjecture  the  wide-spread  ruin  which  has  fol- 
lowed their  being  encouraged  to  pursue  their  own  self- 
ish happinesss,  under  the  idea  that  it  was  the  very 
"salvation  of  God"  which  is  presented  to  believers. 

/.  I  also  trusted  in  the  imputation  of  Christ's  right- 
eousness to  deliver  my  soul  from  the  divine  wrath. 

P.  Hereafter  we  will  notice  the  subject  of  imputation 
more  at  large;  for  the  present  it  will  be  sufficient  to 
remark  that  merely  believing  that  the  merits  of  Christ 
were  imputed  to  you,  did  not  make  it  any  more  a  fact, 
than  your  believing  any  other  thing  would  make  that 
true;  and  your  feeling  pleased  and  satisfied  in  con- 
sequence of  such  belief,  was  no  valid  evidence  that 
they  were  imputed,  but  only  that  you  believed  they 
were. 

/.  True ;  for  we  feel  as  we  believe,  and  our  feelings 
can  be  only  evidence  of  the  sincerity  of  our  belief,  and 
not  of  the  real  truth  of  the  thing  believed. 

P.  And  Christ  never  Imputes  holiness,  or  the  new 
heart,  where  it  does  not  exist  in  fact;  and  his  atoning 
merits  are  applied  only  to  those  who  are  regenerated, 
and  never  to  those  who  are  unregenerato — whatever 
they  may  believe. 

/.  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  these 
positions. 

P.  But  you  were  selfish  in  your  procedure,  as  we  have 
seen;  in  that  ostensible  turning  to  the  Lord,  your  own 
happiness,  and  not  the  glory  of  God,  was  ultimately  in 
view,  and  occupied   your  desires.     Consequently,  your 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  113 

belief  in  the  imputation  was  an  error,  for  the  same 
reason,  precisely,  that  your  trust  in  Christ  was  unau- 
thorized; and  your  subsequent  satisfaction  and  other 
feelings  under  that  belief,  were  invalid  as  evidences, 
and  were  unacceptable  to  God. 

/.  I  perceive  my  mistake  in  appropriating  the  bless- 
ing before  I  had  complied  with  the  prerequisite  moral 
change.  Of  course  my  feelings  in  consequence  all  go 
for  nothing.  Still,  in  forming  that  resolution  to  serve 
the  Lord,  I  endeavored  to  be  sincere. 

P.  No  doubt  you  believed  that  you  were  taking  the 
right  way  to  obtain  and  act  from  such  feelings  as  would 
secure  your  safety  and  peace.  But  you  will  observe 
that  such  feelings,  however  sincere,  profound,  or  satis- 
factory, could  only  be  selfish,  since  your  own  ends  were 
ultimately  in  view. 

L  You  are  correct;  that  endeavor  did  not  affect  the 
selfishness  of  the  act.  I  am  now  perfectly  convinced 
that  I  was  entirely  selfish  in  that  resolution.  Hereto- 
fore I  have  given  it  up,  at  times,  as  an  experiment, 
because  I  was  in  doubt  only;  but  now  I  am  convinced 
of  its  invalidity,  and  renounce  it  for  ever. 

P,  I  cannot  too  much  commend  the  determination 
with  which  you  act  upon  truth ;  persevere,  my  friend, 
in  this  most  honorable  course,  and  you  will  eventually 
bless  the  grace  which  enabled  you  to  do  so.  It  will 
be  expedient  now  to  explain,  as  briefly  as  possible,  the 
moral  characteristics  involved  in  the  various  other  expe- 
riences detailed  in  the  first  chapter.  I  wish  you,  in  our 
progress,  to  give  attention  to  this  examination,  because 
there  are  some  general  principles  involved  in  it  import- 
ant for  you  to  understand. 
10* 


114  CONVERSION. 

L  I  will  give  my  attention  to  it,  as  you  desire. 

P.  I  remark  of  the  person  represented  by  A.  that 
the  encouragement  derived  from  his  convictions  and 
desires  for  his  own  salvation  was  deceptive  and  invalid,- 
that  having  his  own  future  safety  and  peace  ultimately 
in  view,  his  efforts  to  deepen  his  feelings  and  to  obtain 
love  to  Christ  were  purely  selfish;  that  his  acknowl- 
edgment of  his  self-ruin  and  inability  to  secure  salva- 
tion in  his  own  strength,  was  the  admission  of  mere 
.facts  which  could  produce  no  change  of  heart;  that 
his  efforts  to  cleanse  his  heart,  to  relinquish  outward 
sins,  to  engage  in  suitable  duties,  and  to  imitate  the 
example  of  others  who  had  been  successful,  were  all 
selfish,  inasmuch  as  he  was  prompted  by  the  same 
desires  with  which  he  began,  and  as  his  own  future 
happiness  was  his  ultimate  aim;  and  that  his  resort  to 
meetings  for  prayer,  and  presenting  himself  as  an 
inquirer  for  the  direction  and  prayers  of  Christians, 
were  equally  selfish,  since  they  were  done  with  the 
same  selfish  view.  The  encouragement  derived  there- 
from was  deceptive;  and  his  resolution  to  give  himself 
up  to  God  was  as  selfish  as  that  we  have  just  been  con- 
sidering, since  it  was  done  as  a  means  of  ensuring  his 
acceptance  under  the  desire  to  secure  his  own  future 
safety  and  peace.  His  view,  from  beginning  to  end, 
was  the  preservation  of  himself  from  deserved  pun- 
ishment, by  means  of  these  things ;  and  he  consequently 
remained  predisposed  to  his  own  welfare  ultimately, 
rather  than  to  the  glory  of  God  in  a  real  preference 
of  it. 

L  The  selfishness  of  his  preliminary  proceedings  and 
of  his  subsequent  seeming  dedication  to  God,  is  perfectly 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  115 

evident ;  so  much  so,  that  it  appears  to  me  no  one  who 
has  examined  their  grounds,  can  honestly  mistake  it. 

P.  I  remark  of  the  person  represented  by  B.  that 
his  estimate  of  the  world  was  selfish;  that  his  view 
of  future  pleasures  was  selfish;  and  that  his  determin- 
ation to  forsake  the  former  for  the  latter,  was  a  mere 
exchange  of  the  pursuit  of  worldly  selfish  pleasures,  for 
supposed  eternal  selfish  happiness.  His  ostensibly  giv- 
ing up  all  for  Christ,  was  a  mere  plan  to  secure  such 
pleasures  by  his  means,  and  was  consequently  selfish 
and  dishonorable  to  him. 

/.  This  course  is  so  palpably  wrong,  that  it  seems 
strange  any  one  is  deceived  by  it. 

P.  I  remark  of  the  person  represented  by  D,  that 
in  all  he  received  and  did,  he  was  governed  by  a  pre- 
disposition to  secure  his  own  future  welfare,  which 
was  made  his  ultimate  aim.  Consequently,  whatever 
stress  he  might  lay  upon  the  intellectual  belief  of  the 
gospel,  or  on  his  peculiar  mode  of  baptism,  or  in 
receiving  remission  of  sins  and  the  Holy  Spirit  with 
a  pure  heart  and  good  conscience,  he  was  perfectly 
selfish  in  the  use  of  them,  and  his  character  remained 
unchanged  in  the  process.  It  is  unnecessary  to  disprove 
the  sufiiciency  of  his  historical  belief  in  the  gospel,  or 
of  the  supposed  efficacy  of  his  baptism,  or  of  the  fan* 
cied  holy  results ;  for  they  were  so  obviously  used  to 
forward  his  selfish  ends  that,  even  if  they  were  usually 
as  intrinsically  efficacious  as  he  supposed  them  to  be, 
they  failed  to  produce  a  change  of  heart  in  his  case, 
or  a  love  to  the  divine  glory  superior  to  his  desires 
for  his  own  future  welfare.  Selfishness,  only,  was  bap- 
tized and  encouraged  in  the  process. 


116  CONVEESION. 

/.  His  self-deception  is  as  clear  to  me  as  tlie  light. 

P.  You  can  see  one  serious  error  into  whicli  the  person 
represented  by  E,  fell — namely,  his  mistaking  the  love 
of  pity  or  compassion  of  Christ,  which  never  disposes 
him  to  pardon  the  sinner,  for  his  complacency  or  love  to 
his  moral  character,  which  always  does  so  dispose  him. 
He  first  loved  those  who  are  now  Christians,  not  with 
complacency,  but  with  compassion ;  and  under  it  he  made 
the  atonement  whereby  they  were  privileged  to  repent, 
and  devote  themselves  to  the  love  and  glory  of  God;  as 
it  is  said,  "we  [are  permitted  to]  love  him,  because  he 
first  loved  us,"  compassionated  our  condition  and  made 
provision  therefor. — 1  John  4;  10.  19.  It  must  have 
been  so,  else  Christ  took  complecency  in  their  unholy 
character  and  conduct,  and  thereby  became  unholy  him- 
self. Mistaking  thus  the  feelings  and  purposes  of  Christ, 
E.  resolved  to  obey  him  with  a  view  to  secure  his  own 
happiness  by  means  of  his  supposed  favor  and  willing- 
ness to  pardon  him ;  the  perfect  selfishness  of  which  is 
too  evident  for  comment. 

I.  The  selfish  heart,  I  have  no  doubt,  in  its  deceitful- 
ness,  involves  multitudes  in  the  sad  consequences  of  a 
misconstruction  of  that  text. 

P.  You  cannot  fail,  we  think,  to  perceive  that  the 
sole  object  of  him  represented  by  F.  from  the  begin- 
ning in  rejecting  the  orthodox  doctrines,  and  in  dwell- 
ing upon  the  natural  characteristics  of  benevolence, 
patriotism  and  philanthropy,  and  in  insisting  upon  due 
morality,  and  in  forming  his  purposes  relative  to  his 
conduct  in  life,  was  the  promotion  of  his  own  hap- 
piness by  insuring  more  comfort  of  mind  in  this  life, 
and  by  securing  his  own  welfare  beyond  the   grave. 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES. 


Indeed,  his  whole  aim  was  so  obviously  to  effect  these 
objects  that,  in  order  to  show  his  selfish  character,  it  is 
unnecessary  to  pause  and  disprove  his  sentiments,  or 
show  that,  with  his  views  of  doctrine  and  duty,  he  can 
never  be  made  free,  or  that  the  evangelical  doctrines  can 
alone,  under  God,  liberate  him. 

/.  Whatever  his  professions  of  good  principles,  his 
heart  is  evidently  fixed  supremely  on  himself,  and  not 
on  the  glory  of  God. 

P.  The  person  represented  by  G.  is  accustomed  to 
regard  the  means  of  grace  as  designed  to  secure  his 
ultimate  safety  and  happiness;  and  he  accordingly  en- 
ters upon  and  prosecutes  them .  throughout  with  such  a 
pre-purpose,  which  of  necessity  makes  all  his  impulses, 
subordinate  purposes,  and  actions,  selfish.  Thus  he 
endeavors  to  excite  sorrow  for  his  past  sins,  as  one 
means  of  succeeding  in  that  object,  and  seeks  for  pardon 
with  the  same  view,  which  leaves  his  moral  character 
the  same  as  before,  entirely  selfish,  whatever  may  be 
the  feelings  he  has  aroused.  Whether  he  is  favored 
with  a  peculiar  ministry  and  church  privileges  or  not, 
he  makes  a  selfish  use  of  them,  and  they  can  do  him 
no  real  good.  Thus,  he  receives  baptism  as  one  means 
of  succeeding  in  his  purpose,  and  is  therefore  selfish  in 
it;  and  whether  he  believes  that  he  thereby  obtains  the 
influences  of  the  Spirit  to  enable  him  to  work  out  his 
salvation,  to  secure  the  remission  of  sins,  the  favor  of 
God,  and  everlasting  life,  with  some  spiritual  benefit,  or 
that  in  baptism  he  receives  spiritual  regeneration  itself, 
it  makes  no  essential  difference;  for,  as  has  been  seen, 
his  belief  of  receiving  those  things  does  not  actually  con- 
fer them,  however  hopeful  or  happy  he  may  feel  under 


118  CONVERSION. 

it.  It  is  to  him  a  conscious  fact — the  most  conclusive 
of  all  evidence — that  he  prized  that  ordinance  as  a 
means  of  his  own  salvation,  and  that  he  used  it  with  a 
deep-seated  aim  to  promote  his  own  fiiture  safety  and 
happiness — an  end  so  well  established  as  hardly  to  come 
under  his  own  review  at  the  time  as  a  thing  to  be  ques- 
tioned. His  purposes  of  obedience  to  Christ,  his  reli- 
ance on  him  for  salvation,  his  devotion  to  the  authority 
and  rites  of  his  church,  his  receiving  the  ordinance  of 
confirmation,  (whether  scriptural  or  not)  his  partaking 
of  the  eucharist,  his  attachment  to  the  church,  and,  in 
fine,  all  his  feelings  and  proceedings,  grow  out  of  a  pre- 
dominant desire  to  secure  his  own  future  happiness, 
and  are  taken  in  pursuance  of  such  a  purpose;  and  he 
is  therefore  unmitigatedly  selfish  in  them  all. 

/.  How  very  apt  sinners  are  to  pervert  every  means 
of  grace  to  their  own  purposes,  rather  than  to  use  them, 
as  they  were  designed,  for  the  promotion  of  the  divine 
glory  in  a  superior  love  to  that !  After  long  indulgence 
in  that  course,  it  must  become  difficult  to  convince  and 
tear  the  deluded  heart  from  its  perversions.  May  God 
help  them! 

P.  Or  they  perish.  I  remark  of  the  person  repre- 
sented by  H.  that  the  whole  design  of  the  papal  scheme 
is  to  forward  the  selfish  interests  of  the  creature,  at  the 
expense  of  the  glory  of  the  Creator;  that  its  purgatory 
to  be  shortened  by  his  observances,  its  perdition  to  be 
avoided  by  a  blind  submission  to  the  authority  and 
ordinances  of 'his  church,  his  own  happiness  to  be  se- 
cured by  baptism,  confession  and  penance,  the  mass, 
and  those  other  miscalled  sacraments,  are  the  incen- 
tives, means,  and  objects  which  engross  his  heart.    His 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  119 

scheme  knows  of  no  new  heart  in  its  true  spiritual 
sense;  and  it  is  unadapted  to  promote  it,  but  is  directly 
adapted  to  exclude  it  by  fostering  selfishness  as  a  prin- 
ciple. Hence,  we  can  account  for  the  amazing  wicked- 
ness that  is  an  element  of  the  system,  and  which  always 
has  and  always  will  prevail  in  his  sect,  selfishness  being 
rampant  over  priests  and  people.  The  very  few  of  his 
church  who,  in  past  ages,  have  truly  loved  God,  have 
done  so  after  rejecting  its  fatal  errors.  They  have 
always  been  suspected  and  persecuted,  even  to  death, 
because  their  holy  light  evinced  too  strongly  the  dark- 
ness and  depravity  of  its  popes,  and  priests,  and  people. 
In  order  to  his  conversion,  the  whole  system  must  be 
rejected  by  him  in  favor  of  Christ  as  the  sole  Head 
of  Regeneration  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  of  Justifica- 
tion only  through  Faith. 

/.  This  also  explains  the  radical  defect  of  the  Greek, 
Armenian,  and  other  Eastern  churches.  They  all  make 
their  own  or  selfish  happiness,  rather  than  the  glory 
of  God,  the  aim  of  their  systems;  they  adapt  their 
invented,  or  gospel-perverted  means,  to  the  vain  en- 
deavor to  accomplish  that  end ;  and  the  vicious  deport- 
ment and  selfish  and  sensual  desires  and  passions  of 
the  natural  heart  which  they  allow,  are  practically 
deemed  not  inconsistent  with  their  final  pardon  and 
happines^.  And  I  can  now  perceive  that  the  same 
fundamental  error  belongs  to  Judaism,  and  that  the 
Jews  are  so  much  averse  to  Christianity  for  that  reason. 

P.  Yes.  All  the  forms  of  a  vitiated  Christianity,  as 
well  as  Mormonism,  Paganism,  and  Mohammedanism, 
have  the  selfish  happiness  of  the  creature  for  their  ulti- 
mate object,  and  are  prized  by  their  devotees  solely 


120  CONVERSION. 

on  that  account;  while  they  vary  in  the  means  pro- 
posed to  eflPect  it,  some  making  use  of  those  more  vicious 
and  injurious  than  others.  But  the  evangelical  doc- 
trines of  Christianity  are  alone  adapted  by  God  to 
produce  a  superior  regard  to  his  glory  in  the  human 
heart,  and  a  holy  and  commendable  course  of  conduct 
in  the  life;  and  hence,  when  they  are  substantially 
rejected,  holiness  is  made  impossible.  This  fact  makes 
it  peculiarly  imperative  on  evangelical  Protestants  to 
propagate  the  pure  gospel  among  all  the  nations. 

/.  If  they  do  not,  who  is  left  to  do  that  work? 

P.  Let  us  now  return.  As  any  one  who  should  apply 
the  foregoing  facts  to  himself  in  accordance  with  a  per- 
ceived propriety,  would  no  doubt  become  convinced  of 
the  selfishness  of  his  first  resolutions  or  other  steps, 
we  will  next  proceed  to  develop  the  character  of  your 
feelings  and  other  exercises  which  ensued.  The  relief 
and  composure  which  you  immediately  enjoyed  were 
produced  by  the  cessation  of  your  mental  struggles, 
and  by  the  hope  that  you  had  found  the  right  way  to 
be  accepted.  This  composure,  in  its  turn,  encouraged 
you  to  think  that  you  had  already  succeeded,  in  some 
degree,  in  obtaining  the  evidence  of  your  acceptance,  and 
you  felt  happy  in  the  thought.  This  being  a  new  and 
pleasurable  feeling,  was  soon  received  as  the  change 
desired;  when  you  hoped  in  Christ  for  pardon,  and 
was  much  pleased  with  him  for  his  supposed  mercy. 
In  the  first  place,  all  these  feelings  arose  naturally 
under  the  circumstances,  and  were  not  therefore  such 
special  gifits  of  the  Spirit  as  you  supposed. 

L  I  see  my  mistake. 

P.  In  the  next  place  they  were  selfish,  being  pro- 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  121 

duced  by  the  idea  of  succeeding  in  your  selfish  happi- 
ness; and  the  stronger  your  confidence  of  success,  the 
deeper  they  became. 

/.  That  is  true. 

P.  In  the  next  place,  your  belief  and  feelings,  whether 
selfish  or  not,  were  no  valid  evidence  that  you  had  taken 
the  right  way  to  escape  perdition.  For  we  have  seen 
that  our  belief  of  a  thing  does  not  make  it  a  fact;  and 
that  the  feelings  produced  by  such  belief,  or  by  a  hope 
of  the  thing,  are  evidence  only  that  we  believe  or  hope 
in  it,  but  not  that  such  belief  or  hope  is  well  founded. 

/.  I  see  the  correctness  of  the  application. 

P.  Whence,  the  fact  that  such  new  and  pleasurable 
feelings  occurred  is  no  evidencp  that  your  heart  was 
really  changed.  On  the  contrary,  as  these  were  pro- 
duced by  the  hope  of  having  succeeded  in  your  own 
safety  and  peace  ultimately,  they  were  conclusive  evi- 
dence that  your  heart  remained  unchanged  in  respect  to 
loving  God  more  than  your  own  ends. 

L  They  were  so  indeed.  My  feelings  were  new 
merely  because  I  had  never  before  believed  myself  safe 
from  perdition;  and  I  felt  happy  of  course. 

P.  The  ground  of  your  hoping  in  Christ  for  remission 
of  sins  and  their  punishment  being  thus  unauthorized, 
that  hope,  however  joyful,  was  unauthorized  also. 
Indeed,  you  can  perceive  that  it  was  purely  selfish, 
your  own  safety  and  peace  being  the  ultimate  object 
which  you  desired  to  obtain,  and  for  which  you  hoped. 

/.  I  perceive  that  my  hope  was  selfish. 

P.  And  all  the  pleasures  which  sprung  from  it,  and 
which  constituted  the  bulk  of  your  subsequent  exer- 
cises, were  as  selfish  as  their  source. 
11 


122  CONVERSION. 

/.  Yes,  that  follows  of  course. 

P.  And  tlie  renewed  resolutions  wliicli  you  formed  to 
serve  Christ  the  remainder  of  your  days  were  prompted 
by  the  desire  to  preserve  your  future  safety  and  happi- 
ness by  persevering  in  the  use  of  the  supposed  means; 
and  were  consequently  purely  selfish.  The  pleasure 
you  took  in  contemplating  such  service  was  equally 
selfish,  since  it  was  caused  by  anticipated  success  in  the 
same  end;  while  your  natural  feelings  only  gave 
strength  to  the  selfish  purpose.  Both  sprung  from  a 
desire  to  preserve  Christ's  favor  and  your  salvation,  and 
from  the  satisfaction  such  a  prospect  produced. 

/.  I  am  convinced  that  I  was  altogether  selfish  in  my 
resolutions  and  feelings  up  to  the  point  of  hoping  and 
taking  pleasure  in  Christ;  and  as  I  was  selfish  in  that 
very  hope  and  pleasure  also,  I  fear  you  will  find  little 
about  my  exercises  afterwards  that  was  right.  Truly, 
"the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things." 

P.  It  is  now  necessary  to  present  some  further  details 
in  order  to  understand  those  whose  first  steps  have  not 
been  before  characterized;  and  I  have  to  request  your 
particular  attention  to  them. 

/.  I  shall  be  pleased  to  render  it. 

P,  I  would  remark  of  the  person  represented  by  G. 
that  the  belief  that  he  was  one  of  the  elect,  or  that 
Christ  died  for  him  in  a  particular  sense,  or  that  he  was 
able  and  willing  to  save  him,  was  no  evidence  what- 
ever that  such  was  the  real  truth ;  that  the  relief  and 
pleasant  feelings  that  resulted  were  evidence  only  that 
he  believed  such  to  be  the  fact,  but  none  whatever  that 
such  was  the  fact;  and  that  such  belief  and  the  feelings 
it  produced  were  purely  selfish,  since  he  had  his  own 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  123 

pardon  and  safety  ultimately  in  view.  The  hope  in 
Christ,  proceeding  from  such  a  foundation,  and  so  ter- 
minating upon  his  own  welfare  as  the  most  desirable 
object,  was  also  selfish,  as  were  the  pleasures  resulting 
from  it.  His  after  resolutions  to  obey  God,  however 
pleasurably  and  willingly  made,  were  entirely  selfish 
also,  since  they  were  prompted  by  selfish  desires,  and 
were  designed  to  preserve  his  liappy  prospects  of  par- 
don and  deliverance  by  perpetuating  the  favor  of  Christ 
through  the  discharge  of  known  duties.  In  no  one  of 
his  exercises  was  there  involved  any  preference  of  the 
glory  of  God  to  his  own  purposes  and  objects;  and  con- 
sequently there  was  no  true  regeneration  by  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

/.  I  used  to  think  that  the  very  essence  of  religion 
was  to  obtain  a  hope  of  pardon  from  punishment,  and 
of  peace  beyond  the  grave;  and  hence  sought  for  a 
sense  of  pardon,  without  regard  to  its  source  or  char- 
acter; and  I  perceive  that  G.  has  fallen  into  the  same 
error.  Selfishness  delights  in  such  a  religion,  of  course, 
and  must  be  expected  to  cling  to  it  until  its  nature  is 
exposed.  I  used  to  think  also  that  the  faith  required 
in  the  Scriptures  consisted  in  receiving  as  true  what- 
ever might  be  favorable  to  us,  that  Christ  was  willing 
to  save  us,  for  example ;  and  that  the  less  evidence  one 
had,  the  more  commendable  he  was  in  believing 

P.  Eather,  the  more  foolish  he  became.  The  declara- 
tion of  God  in  the  Scriptures  is  a  most  valid  ground 
of  our  belief,  and  to  receive  and  heartily  observe  his 
communications  will  truly  honor  him;  but  he  can  be 
only  dishonored  by  such  assumptions  as  you  describe. 
Had  God  declared  specifically  that  (7.  was  one  of  the 


124  CONVERSION. 

elect,  he  would  have  been  authorized  to  believe  it,  and 
would  have  honored  God  in  so  doing  if  his  heart  had 
gone  over  to  him ;  but  there  was  no  such  declaration ; 
he  could  know  whether  he  was  of  the  elect  only  by 
being  born  again  (J  ohn  3:8);  and  his  simply  believing 
he  was  one  of  them,  was  an  act  of  folly,  a  caricature 
of  true  faith.  Our  minds  should  always  be  open  to  a 
conviction  of  ascertained  truth,  but  closed  against  error. 

L  It  is  very  evident  that  believing  a  thing  without 
valid  evidence,  and  then  receiving  the  spurious  feelings 
or  pleasures  it  produces  as  proof  of  its  truthfulness, 
cannot  be  acceptable  to  a  rational  Sovereign. 

P.  You  can  perceive  the  selfish  origin  and  character 
of  the  exercises  of  another  class  of  persons  represented 
by  jE'.,  both  of  which  may  have  heretofore  been  con- 
cealed from  view.  In  the  period  of  their  convictions 
and  anxieties  for  deliverance,  the  thought  that  Christ  is 
the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life — that  he  has  become  so 
for  them,  and  that  he  is  consequently  willing  to  forgive, 
them — produces  a  sudden  emotion  of  pleasure  at  the 
prospect  of  salvation;  and  this  being  new,  is  received 
a^  "the  love  of  Christ  shed  abroad  in  their  hearts." 
The  belief  of  his  favor,  as  seen  in  this  supposed  evi- 
dence from  above,  produces  ^reat  joy,  and  sometimes 
ecstatic  delight,  which  is  taken  for  the  new  heart  itself, 
and  then  hope  in  Christ  is  confirmed;  and  in  order  to 
insure  their  future  happiness,  the  purpose  is  formed  to 
obey  Christ,  and  perhaps  to  promote  the  greatest  degree 
of  happiness  amongst  mankind  also.  The  belief  of 
Christ's  willingness  to  forgive  was  false,  because  E. 
was  then  merely  in  a  convicted,  and  not  in  a  converted 
state.      The   pleasure   resulting  from   such   belief  was 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  125 

selfish,  as  we  have  seen,  being  in  view  of  his  sup- 
posed safety  and  peace,  and  toward  Christ  on  that 
account;  and  being  natural,  was  not  the  special  gift 
of  the  Spirit.  The  mistake  of  this  new  selfish  pleasure 
for  the  new  heart  in  no  wise  affected  its  moral  char- 
acter; and  the  hope  founded  thereon  was  necessarily 
of  the  same  selfish  aspect.  The  purpose  to  obey 
Christ,  and  thereby  insure  his  selfish  prospects,  was 
evidently  selfish;  and  however  proper  the  promotion 
of  the  happiness  of  mankind  might  be  under  cer- 
tain aspects,  yet  his  character  remained  selfish  in 
the  purpose,  inasmuch  as  it  was  adopted  as  a  means 
to  farther  his  own  ends.  And  his  subsequent  pleas- 
ures therein  necessarily  partook  of  the  same  character 
as  their  source. 

/.  I  have  often  wondered  what  some  meant  by  the 
allegation  that  they  knew  that  Christ  first  loved  them. 
I  now  see  they  mistook  these  deep  feelings  of  selfish 
pleasure,  exercised  by  themselves^  for  affections  which 
Christ  exercised  toward  them  I  What  a  singular  delu- 
sion! And  it  appears  strange  to  me  now  that  any 
should  receive  such  feelings  as  an  evidence  of  pardon; 
but  it  has  not  seemed  so  heretofore. 

P.  Of  much  the  same  description  is  the  reader  repre- 
sented by  /.,  although  he  acquires  what  he  calls  the 
love  of  Christ  in  some  additional  ways.  His  profuse 
weeping  over  his  danger,  and  vain  efforts  to  secure  his 
future  safety  and  peace,  acts  perfectly  selfish,  are  taken 
by  him  to  be  true  penitence.  This  mistake  produces 
some  hope  that  Christ  may  accept  him,  which  is  also 
clearly  selfish,  since  his  own  welfare  is  the  object  ulti- 
mately; and  this  hope  soon  ripens  into  greater  pleasure, 
11^ 


126  CONVERSION. 

which  is  received  as  the  desired  change.  This  error, 
in  its  turn,  produces  a  confirmed  hope  of  success  through 
Christ;  an  act  so  evidently  selfish  that  proof  can  make 
it  no  clearer.  Another  of  this  class  is  made  to  scru- 
tinize his  mind  for  evidences,  and  to  make  efforts  to 
produce  them  himself;  and  any  perceived  calmness, 
or  momentary  insensibility,  is  received  as  such.  The 
sudden  .joy  produced  by  the  belief  of  his  success,  is 
mistaken  for  the  additional  witness  of  the  Spirit,  and 
he  hopes  and  rejoices  in  Christ;  in  all  which  he  is 
as  profoundly  selfish  as  it  is  possible  for  his  object, 
his  own  future  happiness,  to  make  him.  Another, 
by  an  unauthorized  resort  to  the  Bible  for  comforting 
passages  to  apply  to  himself^  thinks  that  God  reveals 
to  him  his  pardoning  kindness  by  some  of  them,  and 
under  this  error,  rejoices;  which  rejoicing  becomes 
the  ground  of  an  equally  selfish  hope  and  pleasure  in 
Christ.  Another,  suffering  under  a  nervous  affection 
from  his  intense  excitement,  imagines  those  sights  and 
sounds  before  described,  which  he  mistakes  for  special 
communications  from  an  exalted  and  intelligent  God. 
This  mistake  produces  joys;  and  they,  in  their  turn, 
lead  to  a  hope  and  its  pleasures — selfish,  because  self 
is  the  source,  and  selfish  happiness  the  aim  of  the  whole ; 
for  while  he  loudly  cries,  Glory  to  God !  he  means  only 
to  express  his  joy  at  escaping  hell  and  going  to  heaven. 
The  unholy  joys  produced  in  any  of  these  ways,  he  calls 
conversion,  or  getting  religion. 

/.  The  multitudes  who  fall  aw^y  after  indulging  such 
exercises,  ought  to  convince  them,  it  seems  to  me,  that 
this  selfishness  is  the  radical  defect  which  keeps  them 
unconverted;  for  I  suppose  it  is  the  predominance  of 


CHAKACTKK  OF  EXPERIENCES.      127 

selfishness  yearning  anew  for  worldly  happiness,  after 
being  satiated  with  that  of  a  hope  of  the  future,  that 
induces  them  to  return  to  sin  and  the  world — or  rather 
to  indulge  in  them  again ;  for,  in  heart,  they  never  left 
either.  Such  a  hope  should  be  abandoned,  I  now  see, 
even  though  it  is  all  the  religion  they  have. 

P.  Your  stricture  is  undoubtedly  justified  by  the 
facts.  And,  finally,  whether  the  particular  means  em- 
ployed by  the  person  have  been  detailed  or  not,  and 
whatever  may  have  been  his  confidence  in  them  as 
scriptural,  or  his  pleasure  in  them  as  valid,  if  his  ulti- 
mate aim  was  to  secure  his  own  future  happiness,  and 
if  the  prospect  of  success  originated  his  encouragement 
and  pleasures,  it  is  apparent  that  his  moral  character 
therein  was  selfish.  Laying  aside  less  material  matters, 
let  us  develop  the  leading  principle  involved  in  his 
own  case,  and  with  its  aid  decide  his  character.  If 
that  was  a  preference  of  his  dwn  future  welfare  to  the 
glory  of  God,  he  must  pronounce  against  himself  while 
it  can  be  made  available  to  his  own  rectification ;  for 
if  he  does  not,  let  us  be  assured,  whatever  encourage- 
ment he  may  now  receive  from  erroneous  opinions,  the 
ignorant  counsels  of  others,  his  own  religious  habits, 
or  the  deceitful  promptings  of  his  own  heart,  that  God 
will  pronounce  against  him  in  that  day  when  no  remedy 
can  be  found. 

L  My  chief  reliance  has  been  on  the  feelings  I  had 
after  indulging  a  hope  in  Christ.  I  have  to  acknowledge 
that  all  that  preceded  was  one  tissue  of  selfishness; 
but  you  will  remember  that,  for  a  season  at  least,  I 
took  much  pleasure  in  Christ,  and  in  various  religious 
duties.     How  do  you  characterize  these? 


128  CONVERSION. 

P.  We  will  proceed,  as  briefly  as  perspicuity  will 
admit,  to  examine  your  subsequent  exercises  in  detail; 
and  also  those  of  the  persons  just  mentioned.  And 
first,  in  respect  to  the  character  of  your  feelings  toward 
God.  As  we  saw  at  first,  while  you  continued  to  ap- 
prove of  the  holiness  and  justice  of  the  Father,  your 
love  was  exclusively  directed  toward  Christ  in  view  of 
his  goodness  in  dying  for  you,  in  preserving  you  so  long 
while  sinning  against  him,  for  his  grace  in  pardon- 
ing you,  as  you  hoped,  in  loving  and  befriending  you 
in  so  many  ways,  in  permitting  you  to  enjoy  so  much 
happiness  here,  and  in  opening  such  happy  prospects  of 
heaven,  and  the  like.  These  feelings  were  produced  by 
your  hope,  as  we  have  seen ;  and  that  being  selfish,  all 
these  fruits  of  it  were  selfish  also. 

I.  That  is  a  necessary  consequence. 

P,  You  were  pleased  with  Christ  because  you  thought 
that  he  would  gratify  y(Jb.r  desires  for  your  own  ulti- 
mate welfare ;  on  the  same  principle  that  0.  was  pleased 
with  P.  when  he  thought  he  would  confer  the  reward 
which  he  so  much  desired  for  aiding  him  about  his 
house.  He  had  no  superior  love  for  the  rights  of  P. 
in  the  matter,  as  you  had  none  to  the  holiness  of  God, 
and  to  that  justice  which  you  often  feared  might  slay 
you,  as  we  have  seen.  And  if  it  needed  confirmation, 
you  can  find  it  in  the  fact,  that  when  you  afterwards 
doubted  your  title  to  a  hope,  you  recoiled  from  being  in 
the  hands  and  at  the  entire  disposal  of  the  Father;  in 
apprehension  of  his  holy  justice;  whereas,  had  you 
truly  loved  him  for  that  trait,  it  would  have  been  other- 
wise; for,  there  is  no  fear  in  love. — 1  John  4: 18. 


CHARACTER   OF    EXPERIENCES.  129 

/.  I  perceive  that  your  view  is  correct;  I  was  not 
pleased  with  the  Father  out  of  Christ. 

P.  Your  feelings  toward  Christ  were  exclusively 
those  of  gratitude  in  view  of  his  past  kindness,  and 
his  supposed  present  merciful  intentions  toward  you. 
You  took  pleasure  in  him  as  a  benefactor  simply,  as 
one  who  had  indicated  a  design  to  do  you  good;  and 
this  naturally  excited  pleasant  feelings  toward  him  in 
return,  just  as  the  gift  of  a  large  fortune  by  some  rela- 
tive would  excite  gratitude  toward  him. 

L  Certainly  my  feelings  were  those  of  gratitude,  and 
Christ  deserved  them  as  I  supposed;  but  it  never  oc- 
curred to  me  that  gratitude  could  be  wrong. 

P^  There  are  two  kinds  of  gratitude — namely,  selfish 
and  holy.  Gratitude  is  always  produced  by  some  per- 
ceived benefit  on  the  part  of  the  benefactor ;  and  in  this 
respect  both  kinds  have  a  common  cause  of  excitement. 
But  they  differ  in  respect  tathe  moral  aspects  of  the 
benefit,  and  the  moral  qualities  of  the  benefactor  which 
elicits  the  regard.  Selfish  gratitude  is  excited  simply 
in  view  of  the  advantage  of  the  benefit  to  the  receiver, 
and  fixes  upon  the  supposed  favorable  views  and  feel- 
ings of  the  benefactor  toward  his  own  desires  and  ends. 
Hence  it  is  a  mere  expansion  of  selfishness,  a  pleas- 
ure and  satisfaction  of  the  selfish  heart;  and  it  will 
cease  just  so  soon  as  the  benefits  are  withheld,  or  he 
becomes  convinced  the  benefactor  does  not  possess,  or 
intend  to  act  upon,  such  supposed  favorable  intentions. 
This  spurious  and  selfish  gratitude,  Mr.  Parkhurst  ob- 
serves, (Jibr.  Phil,  p.  113,)  is  what  our  Saviour  had  in 
view  when  he  said,  "If  ye  love  them  that  love  you, 
what  thank  [in  the  original,  what  approvableness  or 


130  CONVEESION. 

acceptableness  of  disposition]  have  ye?  for  sinners 
[amartoloij  the  depraved  and  detestable]  also  love  those 
that  love  them;"  or  whom  they  think  love  them.  "And 
if  ye  do  good  to  them  that  do  good  to  you,  wha,t 
thank  have  ye?  for  sinners  also  do  even  the  same.'--— 
Luke  6 :  82,  33.  It  is  difficult  for  the  selfish  mind  at 
once  to  condemn  the  principle,  because  it  knows  prac- 
tically of  none  better;  but  the  same  may  be  said  of 
every  other  selfish  exercise.  In  the  case  of  Job,  how- 
ever, there  is  given  a  practical  illustration  of  its  char- 
acter. God  had  pronounced  him  a  man  of  upright 
principles,  and  one  who  truly  loved  him  and  his  glory. 
This  commendation  excited  the  envy  and  malice  of 
Satan ;  and  he  forthwith  charged  Job  with  being  selfish 
in  his  gratitude.  He  asked,  "Doth  Job  fear  God  for 
nought?"  and  proceeded  to  show  what  temporal  bene- 
fits God  had  bestowed  upon  him,  and  alleged  that  these 
were  the  sole  reasons  of  his  love;  and  that,  if  God 
would  remove  them,  his  gratitude  would  cease  with 
them,  and  he  would  show  that  he  cared  nothing  for  him 
in  respect  to  his  intrinsic  worth,  by  cursing  him  to  his 
face.  It  was  tacitly  admitted  by  both,  that  if  such  was 
the  cause,  his  gratitude  was  unapprovable ;  and  the  trial 
was  permitted.  In  the  result,  Job  still  blessed  the  Lord, 
showing  that  his  love  had  a  higher  object  than  mere 
benefits  received,  and  the  supposed  friendship  of  the 
giver.  But  Satan  renewed  the  charge,  alleging  that  Job's 
love  was  produced  by  his  anticipation  of  the  divine 
favor  for  the  future ;  and  that  if  God  would,  by  threat- 
ening his  life,  remove  such  expectations,  he  would  curse 
him  to.  his  face.  But  while  the  trial  proved  the  selfish- 
ness of  Job's  wife,  it  showed  that  Job  himself  loved  God 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  131 

for  reasons  besides  those  of  his  anticipated  friendship 
and  blessings.— Job  1 :  7—22,  and  2 : 1—10. 

/.  That  was,  indeed,  an  unanswerable  proof  of  the 
moral  disapprovableness  of  selfish  gratitude.  But,  it 
seems  to  me  that  Satan,  in  the  inconsistency  of  malev- 
olence, now  encourages  men  to  have  confidence  in  the 
very  principle  which  he  then  so  positively  denounced; 
and  that  he  induces  many  to  embrace  that  same  reli- 
gion of  selfishness,  the  deformity  of  which  he  exposed 
in  the  case  of  Job's  wife. 

P.  That  is  just  what  might  be  expected  of  the  prince 
of  evil ;  and  deplorable  must  be  the  fate  of  those  who 
fall  into  his  snares,  especially  when  they  ply  themselves 
with  arguments  to  remain  insnared.  Holy  gratitude 
can  only  exist  in  a  regenerated  heart ;  for  although  it 
is  excited  by  a  view  of  benefits,  it  contemplates  also 
the  fact  that  they  are  virtuous,  right,  holy ;  and  a  selfish 
benefit,  however  pleasing  to  remaining  corruption,  would 
be  received  in  a  pure  heart  with  disapprobation,  and 
could  excite  no  pleasure  toward  the  giver.  Holy  grat- 
itude also  terminates  upon  the  excellent  moral  charac- 
ter exhibited  by  the  benefactor  in  his  actions,  producing 
a  complacent  regard  toward  him,  which  would  remain, 
were  the  sentiment  of  friendship  obhterated.  Hence, 
as  in  the  case  of  angelic  beings  who  witness  the  bless- 
ings of  God  toward  the  children  of  men,  the  sentiment 
will  rise  nearly,  and  sometimes  quite,  as  high  when 
they  are  conferred  upon  others,  as  when  upon  one's 
self  In  the  one  case,  Christ  is  loved  for  his  favors 
merely ;  in  the  other,  for  the  holy  character  exhibited 
in  them,  as  well  as  for  the  kindness  which  prompted 
them.     Or  rather,  in  the  one  case,  he  is  loved  solely 


132  CONVERSION. 

because  he  appears  to  love  me;  in  the  other,  bdbause, 
while  exhibiting  his  condescension  and  kindness,  he  is 
seen  to  do  so  in  moral  harmony  with  holiness  and  the 
divine  glory. 

Z  I  am  now  convinced  that  my  gratitude  was  selfish 
and  spurious;  but;  believing  that  pleasure  in  Christ  was 
enough,  I  never  thought  of  searching  into  the  reasons 
why  I  indulged  it.  I  supposed  that  the  self-deceived 
were  destitute  of  all  feehng  toward  him;  and  I  con- 
cluded that  I  was  not  hypocritical,  because  I  had 
become  so  sensitive  to  his  favor. 

P.  The  self-deceived  frequently  have  more  of  feeling 
and  vehement  joys  than  real  Christians;  for  they  rejoice 
in  the  supposed  gratification  of  selfishness,  which  is  a 
most  powerful  influence,  and  have  none  of  those  views 
of  themselves  and  their  sins,  which  sober  and  humble 
the  Christian's  heart.  But  you  were  not  hypocritical, 
since  you  were  not  influenced  by  a  deliberate  intention 
to  appear  to  be  what  you  were  not;  you  thought  you  were 
doing  right,  although  it  was  the  way  of  death. — Prov. 
16 :  25.  But,  if  you  would  avoid  that  detestai3le  and 
dangerous,  because  God-provoking,  character,  be-  careful 
to  ascertain  and  follow  the  exact  truth  to  the  extent  of 
your  ability. 

1.  Christ  aiding,  I  shall  do  so 

P.  ISText,  as  respects  your  feelings  and  purposes 
toward  sin.  As  your  exercises  toward  God  were  self- 
ish, it  is  evident  that  those  which  referred  to  what  was 
in  opposition  to  him,  must  have  been  selfish  also; 
and  that,  indeed,  they  could  not  have  been  otherwise. 
Thus,  your  pleasure  in  his  kindness,  real  or  anticipated, 
naturally  produced   regret  at  the   unhindness   of  your 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  138 

wrong  conduct  in  return ;  just  as  0.,  in  the  case  sup- 
posed, felt  regret  in  the  remembrance  of  his  harsh  feel- 
ings toward  P.  under  his  disappointment,  when  he  came 
to  think  that  he  would  favor  him  with  the  pecuniary 
reward; — a  feeling  equally  selfish  in  you  both.  The 
displeasure  you  felt  at  your  past  conduct  proceeded 
from  this,  and  from  seeing  that  it  militated  against  your 
eternal  interests ;  and  it  partook  of  the  same  character. 
And  your  determination  to  avoid  sin  thereafter  was 
also  selfish,  being  prompted  by  the  desire  to  retain  your 
evidences,  and  by  the  wish  to  avoid  displeasing  God 
in  order  to  preserve  your  future  happiness  inviolate, 
and  was  aided  by  those  selfish  feelings  in  view  of  the 
ingratitude  of  your  conduct. 

/.  I  perceive  the  influence  of  the  selfish  principle. 

P.  The  Christian  is  alive  to  the  base  ingratitude  of 
his  conduct,  and  feels  deep  regret  in  view  of  it;  but 
his  heart  being  fixed  upon  a  new  moral  object  in  the 
glory  of  God,  his  feelings  and  purposes  toward  sin 
necessarily  partake  of  the  same  new  character.  Thus, 
his  chief  sorrow  in  view  of  his  past  evil  conduct,  arises 
from  its  moral  deformity,  as  being  so  dishonorable  to 
his  risen  Lord ;  and  he  regrets  disobedience  when  seen 
in  others,  for  the  same  reason.  He  .hates  sin,  because  it 
is  the  moral  opposite  to  that  which  he  supremely  loves, 
the  authority  and  glory  of  God ;  and  his  aversion  being 
a  matter  of  principle,  he  will  abhor  it,  whether  he  is  to 
be  punished  for  it  or  not,  or  whether  committed  by 
others  or  by  himself.  This  feeling  David  expressed 
toward  sinners:  "Do  I  not  hate  them,  0  Lord,  that 
hate  thee?  I  hate  them  with  perfect  hatred"  (Ps.  139: 
21,  22);  if  he  loved  God  and  his  glory,  he  could  not 
12 


134  CONVERSION. 

avoid  disliking,  in  the  same  proportion,  his  opponents 
and  the  dishonor  they  cast  upon  him.  The  Christian 
dislikes  himself  also  on  account  of  his  selfishness  and 
sins;  and  it  is  the  perceived  vileness  of  his  past 
conduct  which  destroys  all  self-complacency,  and  not 
unfrequently  dispels  his  hope  in  Christ.  But,  like 
Gideon,  though  "faint,  yet  pursuing,"  he  still  loves  God, 
mourns  over  his  guilt  and  moral  deformity,  and  renews 
his  efforts  to  avoid  sin,  in  order  that  he  may,  in  some 
degree  at  least,  glorify  his  Creator.  The  self-detestation 
and  abhorrence  expressed  by  Job  have  many  counter- 
parts among  humble  and  devoted  believers;  but  are 
feelings  which,  as  we  have  seen,  you  never  exercised. 

1.  I  am  convinced  that  all  my  feelings  and  resolu- 
tions in  respect  to  sin,  were  then  entirely  selfish. 

P.  Next,  in  respect  to  your  feelings  toward  Christians. 
These  must,  in  their  moral  character,  have  been  a  coun- 
terpart of  those  you  indulged  toward  God ;  for  you  could 
have  no  better  feelings  toward  his  people,  than  toward 
himself  Consequently,  you  can  perceive  that,  while 
you  aj^^proved  of  the  rigid  principles  and  conduct  of 
some,  your  sympathies  and  pleasure  were  excited  toward 
others  for  exclusively  personal  considerations;  such  as 
their  naturally  amiable  dispositions,  engaging  manners, 
supposed  congeniality  of  feeling  and  pursuits,  their 
friendship  and  beneficial  example,  their  attachment  to 
your  supposed  heavenly  friend,  their  encouragement  of 
your  hopes,  their  pleasant  society,  and  the  like.  So 
that,  when  you  became  doubtful  of  your  hope,  you  lost 
much  of  your  gratification  in  them.  But,  while  the 
Christian  is  not  insensible  to  such  personal  considera- 
tions, he  loves  his  fellow-disciples  for  the  same  reason 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  185 

that  he  loves  God ;  which  is  the  only  cause  why  it  is  a 
test  of  his  character.  And  his  love  to  them  is  in  precise 
proportion  to  the  degree  in  which  they  reflect  Christ's 
moral  image ;  and  where  that  is  not  seen,  or  supposed 
to  exist,  he  cannot  love  them  as  disciples.  But  yours, 
as  you  can  now  perceive,  was  of  a  different  character. 

/.  Yes;  my  regard  for  Christians,  I  am  now  aware, 
was  personal,  and  therefore  selfish.  Indeed,  I  soon  lost 
whatever  peculiar  satisfaction  I  had  taken  in  them. 

P,  Next,  as  respects  your  feelings  and  conduct  toward 
sinners.  It  is  evident  you  could  have  no  feelings  for 
others  of  a  character  different  from  those  you  enter- 
tained toward  yourself;  and  that  what  you  esteemed 
and  desired  as  most  valuable  for  yourself,  you  would 
esteem  and  wish  as  such  for  others.  Accordingly,  your 
desire  for  your  own  safety  and  happiness,  made  you 
sympathize  with  their  lost  condition,  and  desire  their 
deliverance  with  the  same  ultimate  view.  This  sympa- 
thy, however  amiable  in  a  natural  sense,  was  made 
selfish  by  the  selfish  nature  of  the  designed  benefit;  and 
your  desire  for  their  future  happiness,  being  independ- 
ent of  any  love  to  the  glory  of  God  to  be  promoted 
thereby,  was  as  antagonistic  to  it  as  was  that  for  your 
own.  Your  disapprobation  of  their  ingratitude  arose 
from  the  same  causes  as  that  of  your  own,  and  was  of 
the  same  character.  And  your  efforts  for  their  deliver- 
ance, being  prompted  partly  by  such  selfish  sympathy, 
and  partly  in  order  to  preserve  your  hope  by  engag- 
ing in  commanded  duties,  were  unqualifiedly  selfish. 
The  Christian  sympathizes  deeply  in  the  present  state 
and  terrible  prospects  of  the  sinner ;  and  in  his  compas- 
sion earnestly  desires  his  deliverance.     But  he  has   a 


186  CONVERSION. 

superior  principle,  one  which  he  would  not  have  violated 
could  every  sinner  in  the  universe  be  delivered  from 
punishment  at  its  expense;  it  is  to  have  that  done 
which,  under  the  circumstances,  the  glory  of  God  shall 
dictate.  He  knows  that  the  mercy  and  grace  of  Christ 
would  shine  forth  more  resplendently,  should  the  sin- 
ner repent;  and  therefore  he  indulges  both  his  sym- 
pathy for  him,  and  his  love  to  Christ,  in  seeking  his 
repentance;  and  he  knows  that  without  repentance  it 
would  be  the  contrary,  and  therefore  he  does  not  seek 
his  salvation  at  the  expense  of  that.  He  desires  for 
him  only  the  "salvation  of  God,"  which,  a^  we  have 
seen,  intends  his  regeneration  of  heart,  his  deliverance 
from  the  love  and  practice  of  sin,  and  his  possession  of 
a  love  to  and  blessedness  in  God.  And  when  he  con- 
templates a  failure  in  his  repenting,  and  that  the 
divine  glory,  in  that  case,  demands  his  punishment,  he 
yields  him  up  with  a  sigh  of  compassion  over  his  fate, 
but  in  a  superior  accord  with  the  righteous  will  of  God, 
as  being  holy,  just  •and  good. 

L  My  short-lived  sympathy  and  efforts  for  sinners 
were  so  palpably  selfish,  that  I  wonder  now  that  my 
own  reflections  did  not  show  me  the  principle.  Indeed, 
I  had  misgivings  all  along  as  to  the  validity  of  my 
position,  but  I  endeavored  to  silence  my  fears  rather 
than  to  scrutinize  their  grounds. 

P.  Your  pleasure  in  social  and  secret  prayer,  was 
derived  from  its  gratifying  your  desires  and  hope ;  and 
as  these  were  selfish,  so  was  that  pleasure  of  course. 
As  we  have  seen,  your  religious  comforts  and  enjoy- 
ments were  greatest  when  your  hope  was  strongest ; 
and  when  it  became  weak,  your  pleasure  in  duty  pro- 


CHARACTER    OF     EXPERIENCES.  137 

portionably  declined ;  and  at  those  times  when  you  had 
almost  abandoned  or  forgotten  it,  you  took  no  pleasure 
in  duties,  except  as  they  served  to  revive  your  hope. 
Prayer  gratified  your  selfish  desire  for  those  evidences 
and  aids  necessary  to  sustain  your  expectations  of  future 
happiness;  and  it  was  pleasurable,  and  perhaps  some- 
times even  delightful,  as  a  means  of  indulging  your 
joy  in  the  supposed  mercy  of  Christ,  at  those  times 
when  your  belief  in  your  eternal  safety  was  entirely  con- 
fident. When  your  hope  languished  and  your  pleasure 
with  it,  prayer  was  very  much  neglected,  except  as  mere 
habit  influenced  you,,  or  your  fears  drove  you  to  it,  or 
as  you  resorted  to  it  to  allay  the  remorse  of  a  condemn- 
ing conscience.  But,  while  the  Christian  loves  to  ex- 
press and  enjoy  his  holy  gratitude  in  prayer,  he  enjoys 
the  duty  principally  because  he  can  then  indulge  his  love 
for  the  honor  and  glory  of  God  by  holding  communion 
with  him,  can  fit  himself  the  better  for  his  duties,  gain 
needed  grace  and  strength  from  the  Spirit,  and  express 
his  desires  for  the  glory  of  God  in  the  conversion  of 
the  world.  It  is  not  unusual  for  him  entirely  to  lose 
sight  of  himself  in  contemplating  the  moral  excellencies 
of  God,  and  to  become  wholly  engrossed  in  his  praise 
and  love.  God,  rather  than  his  own  personal  safety,  is 
the  source  of  his  pleasure ;  so  that,  when  destitute  of  a 
comforting  hope  of  pardon,  he  can  find,  in  prayer,  con- 
solation and  peace  in  God  himself. 

I.  You  have  convinced  me  perfectly  of  my  selfishness 
in  these  respects. 

P.  Actuated  by  the  same  desires  in  reading  the  Scrip- 
tures, you  perverted  that  duty  also  to  selfishness.  Thus, 
as  we  have  seen,  apart  from  the  general  information 
12* 


138  CONVERSION. 

which  you  wished  to  derive  from  the  Bible  as  from 
every  other  book  you  perused,  your  design  was  to 
make  your  future  happiness  secure  by  ascertaining 
and  pursuing  its  injunctions;  and  also  to  sustain  your 
present  hope  and  fortify  your  evidences,  by  selecting 
and  applying  the  promises  to  yourself.  Your  own  ends 
prompted  you  throughout.  The  Christian  takes  pleasure 
in  the  promises  also;  but  his  main  object  in  studying 
the  Word  of  God  is  to  ascertain  how  to  glorify  him  in 
the  manner  he  himself  has  designated;  and  he  finds  an 
excellence  and  beauty  in  the  Scriptures,  so  attractive 
in  themselves  because  they  reflect  the  character  and 
make  known  the  will  of  that  Being  whom  he  loves 
so  supremely,  that  it  is  his  chief  comfort  to  resort  to 
them  in  his  saddest  hours,  when  his  hope  perhaps  has 
fled.  In  your  case,  they  gave  no  comfort,  except  as 
their  perusal  at  first  encouraged  your  hopes,  or  after- 
wards temporarily  allayed  your  fears  and  the  pains  of  a 
guilty  conscience. 

/.  I  see  my  selfishness  therein  clearly. 

P.  Your  process  of  self-examination  was  equally  self- 
ish, because  the  promotion  of  a  hope  of  your  own 
happiness,  and  the  acquisition  of  evidences  of  its  se- 
curity through  Christ,  was  your  ultimate  aim.  Hence 
your  enjoyment  in  it  vacillated  with  your  success  or 
failure;  and  finally  the  duty  was  abandoned  when  you 
lost  your  hope,  no  superior  object  being  left,  in  your 
mind,  to  accomplish  by  it.  The  Christian  is  desirous  to 
know  his  true  position  before  God,  and  applies  his  holy 
evidences  to  ascertain  it;  but  he  has  also  a  far  higher 
object — one  which  he  desires  and  seeks  independently 
of  the  question  of  his  own  prospects — namely,  whether 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  139 

he  is  properly  glorifying  God  in  his  heart  and  Hfe,  or 
whether  he  is  making  such  progress  as  will  honor  God 
before  the  world. 

/.  I  perceive  the  difference.  I  examined  myself  only 
to  prove  my  hope  or  create  new  evidences. 

P.  It  was  a  duty  to  aid  in  all  rehgious  and  benev- 
olent objects,  as  it  was  also  your  duty  to  pray,  "lifting 
up  holy  hands"  (1  Tim.  2:8);  but  you  perverted  it  by 
acting  under  your  selfish  desires  and  with  merely  per- 
sonal views.  You  not  only,  in  many  of  your  benefac- 
tions, wished  to  be  reputed  benevolent,  and  also  to 
gratify  your  natural  and  personal  sympathies,  but  you 
considered  that  such  aid  to  the  cause  of  benevolence 
was  indispensable,  at  least  to  some  extent,  in  order  to 
please  Christ  in  the  use  of  your  substance,  and  so  per- 
petuate your  future  happy  prospects.  Alms-giving  is 
often  considered  as  almost  religion  itself;  but  you  will 
observe  that  the  Centurion  (Acts  10 : 1 — 4)  was  accepted 
in  his  prayers  and  alms,  not  on  account  of  any  merit  in 
him,  or  them,  to  propitiate  Christ,  but  solely  because 
they  were  an  indication  or  memorial  of  his  sincere  pref- 
erence of  God  and  his  glory, — a  preference  which 
you  had  not.  The  Christian  feels  ashamed  when  any 
*  such  motive  as  yours  creep  into  his  heart,  and  he 
abhors  it;  he  aids  the  spread  of  the  gospel  with  his 
benefactions  from  a  love  to  the  Lord  and  in  obedience 
to  his  command,  as  well  as  from  a  sympathy  with  his 
racp;  and  hence  the  two  mites  of  the  poor  but  humble 
widow,  being  all  her  living,  were  more  acceptable  as  a 
memorial  of  her  love  to  God,  than  was  the  abundance 
of  the  selfish  and  rich. — Mark  12 :  42 — 44. 


140  CONVERSION. 

Z.  Of  course,  acts  proceeding  from  such  selfish  con- 
siderations were  not  acceptable  to  God. 

P.  Had  you,  in  pursuance  of  the  hasty  advice  of . 
friends,  made  a  public  profession  of  religion  by  uniting 
with  the  visible  church,  it  would  have  been  a  selfish 
proceeding;  and  instead  of  relieving  your  troubles,  it 
might  have  greatly  increased  them.  Your  object  would, 
have  been  merely  to  fortify  your  hope  and  to  render 
sure  your  future  selfish  happiness,  by  means  of  pleasing 
•Christ  in  the  discharge  of  that  duty.  That  step  conse- 
quently would  not  have  effected  any  change  in  your 
moral  character  before  God,  however  happy  it  might 
have  made  you  for  a  season.  It  would  have  been  evi- " 
dence  only  that  you  sincerely  believed  yourself  to  be  a 
Christian,  or  else  that  you  wanted  to  become  what  you 
supposed  would  be  one;  which  very  sincerity  would 
only  have  made  the  grasp  of  error  and  delusion  the 
more  powerful,  since  sincerity  never  makes  us  really 
what  we  think  we  are,  while  it  hinders  the  discov- 
ery of  our  mistake.  By  such  a  profession  you  would 
have  been  placed  under  influences  which  would  have 
stimulated  your  efforts  more  earnestly  perhaps,  and  these 
would  have  quieted  your  fears,  and  made  you  a  more 
easy  prey  to  selfishness  and  destruction;  but  it  could 
not  have  kept  you  from  backsliding  in  heart,  or  rather 
from  relapsing  into  open  selfishness,  for  you  never 
had  any  holy  principle  to  recede  from.  That  secret 
reluctance  you  spoke  of  to  unite  with  the  church,  was 
probably  the  dissuasions  of  a  reproving  conscience, 
excited  by  the  serious  nature  of  the  contemplated  duty. 
Thousands  have  been  hurried  into  the  visible  church,  or 
have  hastily  gone  there  of  their  own  minds,  who  had 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  141 

no  better  qualifications  than  yourself;  and  when  there, 
have  pressed  on  in  their  selfish  hopes,  and  pleasures,  and 
duties,  mistaking  themselves  for  Christ's  children;  and 
not  a  few  have  so  commingled  their  selfish  ideas,  and 
principles,  and  practices  with  those  of  true  believers, 
that  religion  in  its  purity,  beauty,  and  holy  and  ener- 
getic impulses,  has  become  very  much  impaired  in 
many  of  the  churches. 

/.  I  see  that  I  would  have  been  selfish  in  niaking 
such  a  public  profession  of  piety.  But  would  it  not 
have  been  easier  to  have  truly  repented,  had  I  used 
the  means  of  uniting  with  the  church? 

P.  No.  There  would  have  existed  increased  impedi- 
ments in  your  own  heart,  and  you  would  have  been 
liable  to  false  advice  under  the  mistaken  idea  that  you 
was  a  Christian,  which  you  have  now  escaped — even 
had  God  in  his  mercy  led  you  to  be  willing  to  discern 
and  acknowledge  that  mistake  at  all.  Still,  I  have 
known  many  in  the  visible  church,  who  were  self-de- 
ceived, who  discovered  their  error,  and  gladly  fled  from 
it  to  the  Eock  of  ages,  and  found  shelter  and  support 
under  his  shadow.  O,  how  have  they  rejoiced  in  God 
over  their  deliverance  from  sin  into  his  love ! 

I.  And  well  they  might.  Were  I  in  the  church,  and 
had  I  any  serious  reason  to  doubt  my  own  piety,  not 
an  hour  should  be  lost  from  testing  my  feelings  and 
conduct  by  the  clear  light  of  truth;  and  if  my  doubt 
should  prove  well  founded,  I  would  instantly  reject  my 
hope,  and  seek  the  true  ways  of  Christ.  I  can  conceive 
of  no  more  unpleasant  position  than  to  have  entered  the 
church,  sincerely  believing  that  I  was  in  the  right  dis- 
charge of  a  duty,  and  then  to  find  reasons  for  appre- 


142  CONVERSION 

bending  that  I  was  mistaken.  Knowing  that  I  was  not 
willful  in  it,  in  respect  to  a  knowledge  of  being  wrong, 
or  in  respect  to  thinking  I  might  not  eventually  become 
right,  no  consideration  on  earth  should  withhold  me; — 
especially  as  it  would  be  a  private  matter  between  God 
and  my  own  heart. 

P.  Such  was  the  commendable  resolution  taken  by  a 
lady  who  had  mistaken  conviction  for  conversion,  and 
had  united  with  the  church.  She  became  doubtful  at 
first  of  her  piety  from  hearing  Christians  describe  their 
holy  exercises;  and  at  last  she  was  convinced.  She 
applied  to  her  Pastor  and  Elders  for  advice;  but  they 
refused  to  treat  her  as  deceived,  since  she  had  enjoyed 
a  hope  and  had  been  correct  in  her  deportment.  Under 
their  instructions,  she  tried  to  feel  and  live  better; 
but  the  Spirit  happily  tore  away  her  refuges,  and  she 
renounced  her  hope.  Persisting  in  her  own  conviction 
of  her  true  state,  after  a  time  the  Lord  delivered  her 
from  spiritual  bondage;  and  she  rejoiced,  as  a  new-born 
soul,  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  Grod.  But  for  her 
decision,  she  would  probably  have  been  lost. 

I.  In  such  a  case,  caviling  or  delay  must  be  ruinous. 

P.  Let  me  here  remark  that  in  those  particulars  in 
which  the  exercises  of  the  Christian,  as  before  given, 
seem  to  have  agreed  with  yours,  you  will  observe  that 
his  were  not  selfish,  although  they  contemplated  the 
gratification  of  his  natural  desires;  for  they  were  held 
subordinate  to  God,  and  subservient  to  his  glory;  and 
the  happiness  taken  in  them  was  not  independent  of 
God,  but  under  the  acknowledged  and  loved  supervision 
of  his  authority.  This  deposition  of  his  happiness  from 
the  position  of  a  preference  to  God,  removed  the  stamp 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  143 

of  selfishness  from  it;  and  tlie  subordination  of  it  in 
his  heart  to  the  purposes  of  the  divine  glory,  made 
that  an  occasion  of  holiness  which  before  was  only  an 
instrument  of  sin. 

/.  I  see  the  difference. 

P.  To  return.  In  respect  to  yourself  and  those  whose 
exercises  have  been  now  examined,  you  can  discern 
the  selfish  principle  pervading  and  producing  what- 
ever other  feelings  and  conduct  was  entered  upon,  and 
which  I  have  not  particularized,  provided  you  will  be 
candid  with  yourself  and  ingenuous  in  regard  to  the 
truth.  As  your  hopes  and  pleasures  became  familiar, 
the  desires  for  your  future  happiness  were  in  a  great 
degree  satisfied,  and  they  consequently  failed  to  impel 
you  as  powerfully  as  before  to  keep  up  your  evidences. 
Sin  entered  in,  exciting  your  fears  and  arousing  your 
conscience,  until  religion  and  its  duties  lost  most  of 
their  enjoyments;  and  as  your  hope  failed  you  gradually 
turned  to  the  world  for  that  gratification  which  you  had 
so  much  ceased  to  find  in  religion.  Here  was  no  back- 
sliding, but  a  mere  modification  of  the  action  of  your 
selfish  heart;  it  again  sought  its  chief  end,  happiness, 
in  the  pursuits  of  the  world,  instead  of  in  the  hope  of 
future  safety  and  peace;  and  its  moral  character  was  pre- 
cisely the  same.  And  it  would  have  been  the  same,  had 
you  persevered  in  external  duties,  and  only  partially 
turned  to  the  world;  for  your  own  future  enjoyments 
or  temporal  interests  would  have  swayed  you  in  each. 

/.  Yes;  I  see  the  principle  involved  in  my  relapse, 
and  it  was  mere  selfishness.  Self-love,  as  I  now  per- 
ceive, has  often  led  me  to  mistake  my  right  theories 
for  my  principles  of  action. 


144  CONVERSION. 

P.  Without  going  into  an  unnecessary  minuteness  of 
detail,  you  will  remember  that,  in  every  extremity,  the 
recurrence  to  your  early  new  and  happy  feelings  always 
partially  revived  your  hope,  so  that  in  every  subsequent 
effort  hitherto  you  have  been  influenced  by  your  desires 
to  secure  your  own  future  happiness ;  that  your  efforts 
to  go  anew  to  Christ,  to  do  your  first  works  over  again, 
and  other  endeavors,  have  all  been  made  with  a  view  to 
regain  your  former  supposed  evidences  of  safety  and 
peace,  or  to  acquire  new  and  more  lively  ones  if  pos- 
sible, so  as  to  revive  your  hope ;  that  your  feelings  have 
been  pleasurably  excited  or  have  been  disappointed,  as 
you  have  from  time  to  time  thought  you  had  succeeded 
in  these  efforts.  In  fine,  you  can  now  perceive  that 
they  have  all  been  similar  in  kind  to  those  which  we 
have  so  minutely  examined,  and  were  therefore  selfish. 

I.  Yes;  it  has  been  as  you  describe.  I  was  aware 
of  this  similarity  from  the  first  but  did  not  then  per- 
ceive their  entire  selfishness. 

P.  And  you  are  supremely  selfish  in  heart  at  this 
very  moment;  for,  as  we  have  seen,  your  present 
strongest  desire  is  to  secure  your  own  future  happiness. 
You  wish  to  accomplish  it  in  a  supposed  proper  way  of 
course,  since  it  can  be  had  in  no  other;  but,  as  has  been 
abundantly  shown,  the  desire  to  secure  it  in  such  way  is 
purely  selfish,  your  own  happiness  being  the  ultimate 
object. 

/.  I  see  it  all  now. 

P.  Probably  your  deportment  has  been  correct;  but 
your  heart  has  been  altogether  wrong.  "This  people 
draweth  nigh  unto  me  with  their  mouth,  and  honoreth 
me  with  their  lips,  but  their  heart  is  far  from  me." — 


CHAKACTER    OF    EXPEUIENCES.  145 

Matt.  15 : 8.  Selfishness,  as  we  have  seen,  is  capable 
of  producing  a  correct  deportment  when,  it  will  best 
answer  its  purposes;  but  it  is  powerless  to  effect  a 
reform  of  the  heart.  Says  the  pious  Pay  son,  "The 
manner  in  which  people  generally  obtain  a  false  hope 
is  this :  they  first  come  to  believe  that  God  is  reconciled 
to  them^  and  then  are  reconciled  to  him  on  that  account. 
The  Christian  is  reconciled,  because  he  is  pleased  with 
the  whole  character  of  God;  but  the  other,  because  he 
hopes  God  is  pleased  with  him."  My  friend,  I  am 
aware  that  you  must  now  feel  an  increased  desire  to 
secure  your  eternal  welfare,  as  much  so  perhaps  as 
when  you  were  under  those  convictions  which  termin- 
ated in  attaining  that  hope  we  have  so  minutely  consid- 
ered. Now,  suppose  the  intervening  years,  with  all 
their  resolutions,  hopes,  pleasures,  anxieties  and  religious 
efforts,  were  effaced  from  your  memory  and  from  fact, 
would  you  not  be  conscious  that  your  present  desires 
for  your  future  happiness  are  the  same  in  every  respect 
with  those  you  possessed  when  under  conviction  ?  and 
would  you  even  dream  of  making  them  the  basis  of  a 
hope? 

/.  Obviously  they  are  the  same,  though  they  may  not 
be  so  strong  and  impulsive.  You  afford  me  no  encour- 
agement; perhaps  I  do  not  deserve  any. 

P.  However  grateful  to  my  sympathies,  to  encourage 
would  ruin  you  by  falsehood — an  act  which  no  candid 
person  would  wish  to  have  done. 

/.  But  I  possess  no  feelings  of  enmity  against  God  ? 

P.  No;  the  hostility  lies  deeper  than  that,  in  the 
antagonistic  selfishness  of  the  bent  of  your  heart.  If 
you  should  be  so  unhappy  as  to  fall  under  the  divine 
18 


146  C  O  K  V  E  11  S I O  N . 

justice,  hostile  feelings  will  be  the  last  things  you  would 
find  absent., 

.  /.  I  am  convinced  that  my  whole  course  has   been 
entirely  opposed  to  God  and  his  glory. 

P.  Before  we  close  this  part  of  our  subject,  allow  me 
to  illustrate  your  series  of  exercises  and  their  selfish 
character  by  a  supposed  case,  /d,  while  possessing  a 
strong  natural  love  of  life,  suddenly  falls  into  the  water, 
and  the  imminent  danger  of  death  arouses  his  desires 
for  life  with  great  power.  These  would  not  indicate 
any  new  heart ;  they  would  be  the  decided  exercise  of 
his  old  one,  or  formei:  love  of  life. 

/.  Certainly. 

P.  In  like  manner  you  originally  possessed  a  desire 
of  happiness,  which  you  had  permitted  to  become  pre- 
dominant; and  when  you  began  to  realize  your  exposure 
to  eternal  perdition,  the  desire  to  do  something  to  effect 
a  deliverance  was  strongly  excited.  This  feeling  indi- 
cated, not  a  new  heart,  but  the  strength  of  your  old 
one,  or  the  former  love  of  happiness. 

/.  I  see  it  was  so. 

P.  Suppose  that  a  person  should  seize  R.  while  in  the 
act  of  drowning,  and  drag  him  into  a  boat.  When  he 
came  to  realize  his  deliverance  and  safety,  he  would 
rejoice  in  it  with  great  delight.  His  feelings  would 
be  new  because  he  had  never  before  been  placed  in 
circumstances  to  elicit  them,  and  they  would  be  happy 
because  his  love  of  life  was  gratified;  but  they  would 
be  no  evidence  of  a  change  of  heart,  being  merely  the 
excitements  and  enjoyments  of  his  old  one. 

J.  Yes ;  it  is  perfectly  clear. 

P.  So,  under  your  first  resolutions,  you  hoped  that 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  147 

Christ  had  drawn  you  safely  into  the  ark  of  salvation; 
and  the  belief  of  it  produced  enjoyments  which  were 
new,  because  you  had  not  before  possessed  such  a  hope, 
and  happy,  because  your  desires  of  deliverance  from 
punishment  were  hopefully  gratified.  But  these  were 
obviously  only  the  pleasures  of  the  old  heart — not  the 
aJBfections  of  a  new  one, 

I.  I  wonder  how  I  fell  into  the  mistake  of  thinking 
they  were  evidences  of  a  change  of  heart! 

P.  When  R.  should  discover  who  was  his  deliverer, 
he  would  naturally  feel  grateful  to  him  for  his  kindness, 
whether  he  was  a  moral  man  or  not ;  and  he  would  regret 
any  previous  injury  he  had  done  him,  whether  he  was 
justified  in  the  injurious  act  or  not.  These  would  be  the 
natural  workings  of  his  old  heart,  in  view  of  the  great 
benefit  he  had  received ;  they  would  constitute  no  new 
heart,  or  new  affections  in  respect  to  their  moral  character. 

/.  I  perceive  they  would  not. 

P.  And  precisely  such  was  your  gratitude  to  Christ 
for  his  supposed  kindness  in  delivering  you,  and  such 
were  your  regrets  in  view  of  the  unkindness  of  your 
conduct  to  him  in  return  for  his  goodness.  They  were 
irrespective  of  his  moral  character,  and  the  natural  re- 
sults of  your  views  of  his  friendship  and  expectation  of 
his  mercies,  and  partook  not  at  all  of  a  new  heart. 

/.  I  am  convinced. 

P.  R.  would  naturally  love  those  in  the  boat  who 
sympathized  with  and  encouraged  him,  as  you  liked 
Christians  who  did  the  same  for  you.  He  would,  from 
the  fresh  impressions  of  his  own  recent  danger,  more 
earnestly  desire  the  deliverance  of  other  drowning  per- 
sons, as  you  felt  in  regard  to  other  lost  sinners.    If  his 


148  CONVERSION. 

safety  seemed  to  require  it,  J?,  would  seize  an  oar  and 
labor  to  reach  the  shore,  and  even  take  pleasure  in  it 
on  account  of  its  contributing  to  his  own  escape,  just  as 
jou  took  pleasure  in  pious  duties  (which  had  always 
before  been  distasteful)  because  they  appeared  necessary 
if  you  would  reach  the  eternal  shores  with  safety.  In 
none  of  these  things  would  a  new  heart  appear,  but 
only  the  natural  feelings  and  fruits  of  the  old  one.  And 
after  R.  should  gain  the  shore,  the  excitement  would 
soon  subside,  and  with  it  all  his  pleasures  and  other 
feelings;  just  as  did  yours,  after  becoming  accustomed  to 
your  hope,  or  on  losing  it. 

I.  Sir,  you  have  said  enough.  I  am  convinced  of  my 
entire  selfishness,  and  am  only  amazed  that  I  was  ever 
so  blind  as  to  be  mistaken.  May  Grod  forgive  all  those 
who  aided  me  in  that  delusion! — for  if  my  Christian 
friends  had  possessed  sufficient  knowledge  to  enlighten 
me,  and  had  summoned  decision  enough  to  attempt 
it,  I  might  long  ago  have  been  undeceived. 

P.  The  more  closely  you  scrutinize  your  past  exer- 
cises, the  more  vividly  will  you  be  impressed  with  the 
fact  that  you  started  merely  from  a  feeling  of  concern 
for  yourself,  and  not  for  God ;  that  you  have  ever  since 
followed  its  leadings  and  impulses  exclusively;  so  that 
while  you  thought  you  was  on  the  Lord's  side,  you 
were  altogether  on  your  own. 

/.  I  confess  I  was  always  afraid  to  scan  my  motives; 
and  I  now  see  that  it  was  my  selfish  heart  which 
prompted  me  to  object  to  its  being  done  by  others. 
May  God  forgive  me! 

P.  It  follows  that  your  hope,  being  entirely  selfish,  is 
perfectly  invaUd. 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  149 

L  Yes;  it  is  good  for  nothing.  I  am  not  experiment- 
ing with  the  truth  now. 

P.  It  further  follows  that  jou  was  mistaken  in  think- 
ing yourself  to  be  a  Christian. 

/.  Yes ;  of  course  I  am  not  a  Christian. 

P.  Instead  of  being  approved  and  accepted  of  God  as 
one  who  possesses  a  holy  character,  he  now  disapproves 
and  rejects  you  as  unholy  and  entirely  depraved  in  heart. 

L  It  is  so;  and  he  is  just  in  his  condemnation. 

P.  Should  you  die  in  your  present  selfish  state  of 
heart,  God  could  not  love,  accept,  or  reward  you  in 
heaven.  It  is  morally  impossible  for  him  to  love  what 
he  disapproves,  to  accept  what  he  cannot  love  compla- 
cently, or  to  reward  where  he  neither  approves  nor 
loves.  Were  he  to  do  so,  (and  I  say  it  reverently,)  the 
moral  sentiments  of  all  upright  beings  would  condemn 
him;  and  he  would  become  the  reproach  of  the  just  and 
the  scorn  of  the  wicked.  You  can  never  enter  heaven 
with  your  present  unholy  heart.  "Know  ye  not  that 
the  unrighteous  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God?" 
—1  Cor.  6  :  9. 

/.  I  have  not  the  least  expectation  of  being  received 
into  the  favor  of  God,  or  of  enjoying  everlasting  life, 
in  my  present  state  of  heart. 

P.  And  painful  as  the  truth  is,  candor  compels  me  to 
remind  you  that,  should  you  die  in  your  present  state, 
you  must  be  irretrievably  lost.  God  is  under  a  moral 
necessity  to  punish  the  incorrigible  sinner.  If  you  will 
remember,  all  your  principles  have  been  antagonistic  to 
God,  and  the  nucleus  of  all  moral  evil;  your  feelings 
and  affections  have  all  been  estranged  from  him,  and 
placed  upon  yourself;  and  when  you  have  seemed  to 
13* 


150  CONVERSION. 

entertain  regard  for  him,  it  was  merely  as  one  who 
would,  as  you  supposed,  pander  to  your  unholiness,  so 
that  the*  stronger  the  expressions  of  such  regard  were, 
the  more  you  dishonored  him.  Not  unfrequently, 
perhaps,  your  mind  has  risen  in  hostility  to  him,  es- 
pecially in  his  sovereignty  ;  you  have  indulged  your 
evil  passions  as  suited  your  own  pleasure;  in  innumer- 
able instances  you  have  violated  your  obligations  to  him 
by  disobeying  his  holy  laws;  and  such  of  them  as  it 
was  your  policy  to  observe,  were  made  the  occasion 
of  insults,  since  by  rejecting  him,  their  Maker,  as  your 
supreme  motive,  you  treated  him  as  unworthy  to  be 
regarded  therein.  Whether  you  have  acted  from  re- 
flection and  deliberate  purpose  to  disobey  and  dishonor 
God  or  not,  does  not  affect  your  criminality,  except 
in  respect  to  the  degree  of  its  willfulness.  You  are 
an  immortal  being,  destined  to  an  endless  existence; 
you  have  violated  obligations  infinite  as  that  existence, 
as  exalted  as  the  majesty  of  Jehovah;  and  God  is  left 
no  alternative  but  the  exercise  of  a  strict  and  rigid 
justice — a  severity  of  vengeance — to  punish  you  accord- 
ing to  your  deserts,  while  he  shall  make  you  an  example 
of  his  power  and  wrath,  and  useful  in  perpetuating  his 
eternal  authority  over  others  in  the  ages  to  come. — Kom. 
9:22.  " When  they  shall  say,  Peace  and  safety!  then 
sudden  destruction  cometh  upon  them." — 1  Thes.  5 : 8. 

I.  I  deserve  it  all. 

P.  Should  you  die  in  your  present  state,  your  spirit 
would  first  fly  away,  and  return  to  God  who  gave 
it.— Ps.  90;  10;  Eccl.  12:7.  Then  you  would  behold 
Jesus  Christ  your  judge,  in  his  glory;  for  it  is  he  who 
will  judge   the  world  in  righteousness. — Kom.  2 :  16. 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  151 

There  exists  no  difference  of  feeling  or  purpose  toward 
the  ungodly  among  the  several  Persons  of  the  Trinity. 
"Woe  unto  the  wicked,  it  shall  be  ill  with  him!"  (Is.  3 : 
11),  is  their  common  feeling  and  determination.  As  you 
approach  his  bar,  were  it  possible  for  Christ  to  weep 
there,  his  tear  of  compassion  would  fall  upon  you,  while 
his  dread  voice,  nerved  by  a  righteous  justice,  would 
pronounce  your  doom:  "Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed, 
into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his 
angels." — Matt.  25:41.  And  if  there  is  a  more  bitter 
ingredient  than  any  other  in  that  terrible  doom,  it  will 
be  in  the  thought  that  you  are  self-ruined  in  defiance 
of  even  the  death  of  the  Son  of  God  in  the  flesh  ? 

/.  I  thank  God  for  being  delivered  from  my  delusion 
and  forewarned  in  time. 

P.  Were  you  compelled  to  hold  fast  to  a  blazing  fire- 
brand with  your  naked  hands,  the  pain  would  produce 
an  instinctive  opposition  to  him  who  coerced  it,  whether 
he  was  justified  in  doing  so  or  not;  and  with  the  in- 
' creasing  pain,  your  hostility  would  increase,  and  burn, 
and  blaze  to  the  height  of  your  power.  It  would  not 
be  under  your  control  in  the  least,  and  could  suffer  no 
alleviation  or  abatement  so  long  as  the  painful  cause 
existed.  While  you  thus  revolted  against  the  inflicter 
of  the  pain,  and  while  its  infliction  was  continued,  you 
could  not  love  him;  no  pause  in  your  hatred  could  then 
occur  of  which  you  could  take  advantage  to  excite  love 
to  him ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  instinctive  hatred  would 
reign  in  spite  of  yourself. 

/.  Certainly  the  natural  love  of  happiness  would  pro- 
duce an  instinctive  and  unconquerable  animosity  against 
its  destroyer. 


152  CONVERSION. 

P.  On  the  same  principle,  when  the  divine  wrath  falls 
in  agony  on  the  lost  soul  for  his  nnholy  character,  heart, 
and  conduct,  the  intensity  of  his  misery  will  produce  a 
kind  of  instinctive  hostility  toward  God,  the  inflicter. 
He  will  be  totally  unable  to  love  him  while  under 
the  pain  and  its  resulting  hostility;  and  while  the  pun- 
ishment continued,  not  a  moment  could  be  found  in 
which  the  soul  could  become  released  from  its  animosity 
so  as  to  exercise  love;  and  as  long  as  the  punishment 
is  maintained,  the  hostility  must  continue,  and  with 
increasing  intensity.  But,  that  must  be  perpetuated  so 
long  as  the  reason  for  its  original  infliction  remains — 
namely,  the  unholiness  of  heart  and  conduct  of  the 
sinner;  and  that  reason  will  remain  good  as  long  as  he 
continues  a  sinner;  and  as  no  change  can  possibly, 
under  such  circumstances,  be  effected  in  that  respect, 
his  punishment  must  endure  for  ever?  Thus,  you  per- 
ceive, that  reason  itself  indicates  the  principle  that 
punishment,  once  inflicted,  must  be  endless ;  as  well  as 
the  ground  which  makes  it  a  natural  necessity,  so  to 
speak,  when  the  soul  has  become  once  lost. — Rev.  19  :  3. 
It  was  not  the  least  of  the  tokens  of  divine  goodness,  to 
reveal  beforehand  the  certain  and  irreparable  doom  of 
the  incorrigible  sinner. 

I.  No  one  can  fail  to  perceive,  it  seems  to  me,  that 
there  can.  be  no  radical  change  of  affections  toward  one 
who  punishes,  while  self-love  is  smarting  and  suffering 
under  its  torments;  and  that  consistency  evidently  re- 
qjiires  its  continued  infliction  while  the  cause  remains 
which  originally  produced  it.  It  is  indeed  a  rnercy  to 
forewarn  us  on  this  point. 

P.  Allow  me  now  to  invite  your  attention,  with  the 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  153 

hope  that  it  will  be  wholly  given,  to  an  important  fact 
relating  to  your  present  position.  You  will  understand 
that  I  do  not  now  speak  of  what  the  Holy  Spirit  is  able 
to  accomplish,  but  merely  of  what  you  yourself,  in  your 
present  moral  position,  cannot  avoid.  It  is  this:  Every 
resolution  you  may  now  form  to  secure  an  interest  in 
Christ,  will  necessarily  be  selfish.  It  is  important  for 
you  to  discern  this  fact  clearly,  in  order  to  our  future 
progress;  and  I  will  therefore  endeavor  to  show  its  truth 
by  proposing  a  few  questions  for  you  to  answer.  It  is 
necessary  that  you  should  arouse  your  mind  to  action, 
if  you  would  practically  understand  this  fact;  and  I 
therefore  wish  you,  if  you  please,  to  answer  my  ques- 
tions aloud. 

L  No  doubt  you  have  a  good  reason  for  the  request, 
and  my  answers  shall  be  made  audibly. 

P,  You  know  you  ought  to  serve  the  Lord:  Will 
you  endeavor  to  obey  him  hereafter  ? 

/.  {aloud.)  Yes. 

P.  Why?  Was  it  not  because  you  desired  to  secure 
his  favor,  and  thereby  your  own  future  safety  and  hap- 
piness ? 

/.  It  was,  of  course. 

P.  Consequently,  you  was  selfish  in  that  resolution. 
The  same  selfish  desire  for  your  own  future  happiness 
which  has  always  heretofore  influenced  your  efforts, 
produced  this  resolution. 

I.  I  perceive  it  was  so;  having  no  other  desires,  it 
must  necessarily  have  been  a  selfish  influence. 

P.  Again;  you  are  aware  that  you  ought  to  leave 
yourself  unreservedly  in  the  hands  of  a  sovereign  God : 
Will  you  now  let  his  wiU  be  done  with  you  ? 


154  CONVERSION. 

/.  {aloud.)  Yes. 

P,  Why  ?  Was  it  not  because  you  desired  to  secure 
your  own  future  welfare,  and  hoped  that  he  might 
accept,  and  pardon  you  in  order  thereto  f 

I.  Yes ;  I  hoped  he  might  deliver  me. 

P.  Being  influenced  by  the  same  selfish  desires  as 
before,  this  resolution  was  equally  selfish. 

/.  Of  course  it  was. 

P.  Again ;  you  ought  to  glorify  God :  Will  you 
endeavor  hereafter  to  promote  his  glory,  in  the  supreme 
love  of  it  ? 

I.  {aloud.)  Yes;  I  will  try. 

P.  Why?  Was  it  not  from  a  desire  to  secure  your 
own  future  happiness  ultimately? 

/.  Certainly. 

P.  And,  consequently,  you  were  selfish  in  this  reso- 
lution also.  You  preferred  your  own  happiness,  and 
sought  ostensibly  to  glorify  God,  but  it  was  merely  as  a 
means  to  secure  your  own  ends.  This  was  from  no  love 
to  the  divine  glory,  but  it  was  an  experiment  to  gratify 
your  superior  love  to  yourself 

I.  I  perceive  it;  and,  indeed,  loving  myse^ supremely, 
how  can  I  love  God  supremely,  except  in  pretence  ? 

P.  You  cannot.  The  grand  difiiculty  in  the  way,  is 
your  predominant  desire  for  your  own  happiness, 
which  arises  spontaneously  whenever  you  attempt  any 
thing.  If  this  could  be  removed,  you  might  act  differ- 
ently. I  suppose  you  desire  to  get  rid  of  this  selfish 
preference  ? 

I.  Certainly  I  do. 

P.  But  this  desire  is  itself  selfish,  because  it  contem- 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  155 

plates  the  promotion  of  your  own  happiness  by  means 
of  getting  rid  of  the  preference. 

/.  Yes;  I  perceive  it  is  selfish.  Pray,  how  can  I 
discard  my  desire? 

P.  You  dedre  to  discard  it? 

I.  Yes,  very  much  indeed. 

P.  Because  it  stands  in  the  way  of  your  acting  in  a 
proper  manner  to  secure  your  future  safety  and  peace? 
'      /.  Yes. 

P.  And,  therefore,  this  last  desire  is  equally  as  selfish 
as  the  other.  But  you  wish  to  get  rid  of  this  last 
desire  ? 

/.Yes,  I  do 

P.  But  it  is  for  the  same  reason — namely,  it  stands 
in  the  way  of  securing  your  selfish  happiness;  and  con- 
sequently, it  is  as  selfish  as  either  of  the  former. 

L  Truly  it  is  so. 

P.  And  every  desire  you  might  form  to  get  rid  of 
your  selfish  desires,  would  be  selfish  for  the  same  rea- 
son; and  if  you  could  retreat  to  the  millionth  desire 
in  the  backward  train,  that  would  be  of  the  same  char- 
acter. And  if  you  should  look  forward,  and  interpose 
every  thing  imaginable  as  an  object,  still  the  promo- 
tion of  your  own  happiness  would  always  be  a  more 
ulterior  end,  and  that  would  stamp  you  with  selfishness 
in  every  effort.  Did  I  not  say  truly  that,  in  your  present 
state  of  mind,  every  such  effort  would  be  selfish? 

/.  Yes.  It  is  now  as  clear  as  the  light,  that  I  have 
nothing  but  selfish  desires  to  start  with;  and  I  fear 
that  every  effort  toward  Christ  will  be  selfish  of  course, 
and  that  I  must  remain  unholy  in  every  endeavor.  I 
seem  to  have  lost  all  recuperative  power. 


156  CONVERSION. 

P.  And  herein  see  the  total  moral  depravity  of  your 
heart.  "0  Israel!  thou  hast  destroyed  thyself."  To 
urge  you  to  immediate  repentance  would  seem  like 
requiring  one  to  make  brick  without  straw,  and  I  will 
reserve  all  suggestions  on  that  point.  We  are  now  pre- 
pared to  enter  upon  an  investigation  of  the  obstacles  to 
your  progress,  without  a  clear  knowledge  of  which  we 
can  make  no  advance  with  our  subject.  I  have  there- 
fore to  request  your  careful  and  candid  attention  to  the 
contents  of  the  next  two  chapters;  and  have  to  urge 
you  not  to  pass  them  over,  or  in  any  way  to  antici- 
pate the  subjects  out  of  the  order  in  which  I  present 
them,  however  strongly  you  may  feel  inclined  to  do  so. 
The  reason  is,  that  now  your  views  are  clear  so  far  as 
we  have  progressed;  but  if  you  should  anticipate  the 
regular  natural  order  of  our  subjects  you  will  become 
confused,  will  be  unable  to  understand  the  true  meaning 
of  much  that  may  thereafter  be  presented,  and  may 
bitterly  regret  the  consequences. 

/.  Sir,  you  have  my  confidence;  and  in  deference  to 
your  opinions  and  wishes,  as  well  as  for  my  own  en- 
lightenment, I  will  follow  this  advice. 

P.  Let  me  request  you  now  to  retire  to  your  closet, 
and  there  under  the  eye  of  God  to  review  the  principles 
of  your  past  life,  the  unholy  feelings  you  have  indulged, 
and  the  various  infractions  in  your  external  conduct 
against  the  precepts  of  the  divine  law.  Seek  the  guid- 
ance of  the  Holy  Spirit  into  all  truth ;  and  confess  such 
of  your  sins  as  rise  to  memory,  with  a  determination  to 
forsake  them,  rather  than  with  your  usual  petitions  for 
their  pardon.  Under  the  solemn  impressions  thus  ob- 
tained, we  will  resume  the  general  subject. 


CHARACTER    OF    EXPERIENCES.  157 

/.  I  will  implicitly  follow  these  suggestions.  I  feel 
that  I  have  no  time  to  lose. 

P.  Beware  of  grieving  the  Holy  Spirit  by  any  inat- 
tention, now  that  your  mind  is  becoming  more  alive  to 
the  subject.  If  you  now  waver  in  searching  for  the 
whole  truth,  with  the  purpose  of  observing  it  to  the 
best  of  your  ability,  your  day  of  grace  may  close. 
"Reprobate  silver  shall  men  call  them,  because  the 
Lord  hath  rejected  them." — Jer.  6 :  30. 

I.  I  am  determined  to  persevere,  with  the  divine  aid. 
14 


CHAPTER  VI. 


OBSTACLES    TO    THE    SINNER'S    PROGRESS. 


Pastor.  It  will  be  in  vain  for  you  to  anticipate  any 
useful  progress,  until  we  have  investigated  the  various 
secret  obstacles  which  lie  in  your  path,  of  the  injurious 
nature  of  most  of  which  you  are  unaware;  for  their 
very  familiarity  conceals  their  evil  character,  and  in- 
'duces  you  to  consider  and  to  confide  in  them  as  proper 
means. 

Inquirer,  It  will  be  a  satisfaction  to  prosecute  such  an 
inquiry. 

P.  Since  our  last  interview,  have  you  resolved  to 
obey  Christ,  or  to  live  to  the  glory  of  God  ? 

1.  I  have.  Of  course  my  desires  to  find  the  right 
way  to  succeed  have  been  strong,  and  I  concluded  to 
lay  aside  selfishness,  obey  God,  and  live  to  his  glory 
hereafter. 

P,  Which,  you  trusted,  might  prove  to  be  the  right 
way  to  please  God  and  secure  your  future  happiness? 

/.  Yes;  I  knew  of  no  other  way. 

P.  And  that  was  a  selfish  way,  and  you  remained 
perfectly  selfish  in  it.  It  was  a  mere  experiment  of 
your  selfish  heart  to  succeed  in  its  own  purposes.  You 
did  not,  infact^  lay  aside  your  selfishness,  or  obey  God,  or 
live  to  his  glory  in  a  supreme  love  to  it ;  but  you  merely 
endeavored  to  do  so,  under  the  influence  of  your  pre- 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  159 

dominant  desires  for  your  own  happiness,  and  as  a 
means  to  effect  that  object  ultimately;  and  consequently, 
the  hope  that  you  had  succeeded,  as  well  as  the  pleas- 
urable feelings  resulting  from  the  hope,  were  as  selfish 
as  ever  before.  You  did  not,  in  reality,  prefer  God 
and  his  glory  to  yourself;  but  you  endeavored  again 
to  subordinate  him,  his  service,  and  glory,  to  your 
own  ends. 

I.  I  perceive  the  selfishness  of  the  whole  proceeding; 
and  I  thank  you  for  developing  it  to  me.  It  would 
only  have  again  deluded  me,  and  might  have  destroyed 
my  soul ;  for  I  am  well  aware  that  perseverance  in  self- 
ish pursuits,  under  the  influence  of  selfish  desires,  can 
never  lead  to  holy  desires,  or  terminate  in  holy  pursuits. 
And  yet,  some  instructors  would  have  encouraged  that 
resolution,  and  would  have  urged  me  to  perseverance 
and  hope. 

P.  Superficiality  in  religious  instruction  is  the  great 
curse  which  afflicts  the  church.  We  are  told  that  "he 
that  winneth  souls  must  be  wise"  (Prov.  11:80);  and 
in  order  thereto,  the  workings  of  the  human  mind  must 
be  well  understood,  together  with  the  peculiar  adapted- 
ness  of  the  various  truths  to  its  various  states;  and 
there  must  be  wisdom  and  tact  in  their  application 
(Matt.  10: 16),  as  well  as  a  profound  reliance  on  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  give  them  efficacy. 

I.  If  religion  is  a  reasonable  requirement,  and  if  the 
service  of  God  is  so  reasonable  as  the  apostle  alleges 
(Kom.  12 : 1),  then,  truly,  it  becomes  its  teachers  to  in- 
struct like  reasonable  men.  To  do  so  must  require 
much  study,  experience,  and  honesty  of  heart,  and  they 
remain  inexcusable  for  their  deficiencies. 


160  CONVERSION. 

P,  Before  we  proceed,  let  me  ask  whether  you 
have  become  entirely  convinced  of  your  impenitency, 
and  that  you  must  fall  under  the  endless  wrath  of  God 
if  you  die  in  this  state  of  mind  ? 

/.  Yes ;  I  am  perfectly  convinced  that  I  must  be  lost 
without  repentance,  and  that  it  will  be  just  in  God  to 
inflict  upon  me  the  penalty  of  that  law  which  I  have  so 
constantly  violated. 

P.  Suppose  one  should  offer  you  a  large  fortune,  on 
condition  that  you  should  count  from  one  up  to  ten 
thousand  in  the  space  of  one  minute ;  would  you  try  to 
count  it,  with  any  expectation  of  success  ? 

/.  Ko ;  and  therefore  I  should  not  try  at  all,  however 
much  I  might  desire  the  fortune. 

P.  On  the  principle  that  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  try? 

/.  Certainly. 

P.  But  you  might  be  induced,  as  a  mere  experiment, 
to  try  and  see  how  much  you  could  count  in  that  space 
of  time;  and  the  experiment,  uniting  with  the  previous 
convictions  of  your  judgment  as  to  the  impossibility  of 
succeeding,  would  effectually  arrest  all  further  endeav- 
ors. Keasonable  people  always  abandon  the  pursuit  of 
any  desired  thing,  when  they  become  convinced,  by 
argument  and  experiment,  that  it  is  impossible  to  ac- 
complish it;  and  they  can  lose  nothing  by  desisting, 
since  they  could  gain  nothing  by  persevering.  But  we 
might  argue  and  make  trials  with  a  lunatic  ever  so 
much,  and  he  might  still  persevere  in  his  vain  efforts 
to  count  ten  thousand  in  a  minute,  simply  because 
he  was  disordered  in  intellect  and  incapable  of  self- 
control. 

L  I  hope  always  to  act  like  a  reasonable  being;  and, 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  ,       161 

you  may  be  sure  that  whatever  I  may  perceive  to  be 
out  of  my  reach  and  useless  to  pursue,  shall  be  most 
decidedly  abandoned. 

P.  In  resuming  our  main  subject,  I  wish,  among  other 
things,  to  develop  various  errors  of  opinion  and  practice 
into  which  you  have  unconsciously  fallen,  and  which 
have  always  hindered  your  progress;  to  expose  several 
things  which  you  have  been  attempting,  but  which  you 
are  neither  required  to  accomplish,  nor  are  able  to 
effect,  and  the  pursuit  of  which  has  perverted  your 
whole  course  hitherto;  and  in  the  end,  to  explain  the 
true  meaning  of  the  principle  you  have  often  heard 
advanced,  that  "0/  ourselves  we  can  do  nothing,"  or,  as 
you  would  express  it,  nothing  to  make  ourselves  deserv- 
ing of  salvation.  And  this  will  lead  us  to  notice  what 
the  Holy  Spirit  will  do.  As  an  incident,  the  entire 
selfishness  of  your  heart  and  of  your  past  efforts,  will 
be  more  fully  elucidated.  Of  course  my  object  in  this 
examination  is  not  to  show  how  you  are  to  succeed  in 
your  desired  happiness;  for  an  examination  of  the  diffi- 
culties in  the  way,  is  a  different  thing  from  showing  how 
to  accomplish  your  purposes.  From  your  inveterate 
habit  of  looking  upon  every  thing  with  that  view,  you 
will  probably  commence  with  various  plans,  and  will 
regard  the  whole  as  intended  to  show  you  how  to  suc- 
ceed ;  but  if  you  will  test  the  various  points  candidly, 
that  impression  will  soon  be  removed. 

I.  I  shall  understand  beforehand  that  it  is  not  your 
object  to  show  me,  at  present,  how  to  succeed  in  my 
salvation. 

P,  And  that  you  cannot  succeed  by  the  means  we 
shall  examine,  even  if  you  try 
14* 


162  CONVERSION. 

I.  I  understand  you  fully. 

P.  In  order  to  raise  the  various  incidental  points  just 
referred  to,  let  me  state  a  proposition  for  your  practical 
investigation.  It  is  one  on  which  any  one  can  act, 
whether  he  is  a  sinner  or  a  Christian,  but  still  without 
any  mere  personal  advantage.  It  has  no  bearing  on 
religion,  as  you  have  been  accustomed  to  regard  that 
subject;  but  is  an  exposition  of  mental  action  on  moral 
principle,  without  the  intervention  of  the  affections. 

/.  Certainly,  I  should  never  expect  to  derive  any 
substantial  benefit  from  such  heartless  morality  as  you 
have  now  described. 

P,  The  proposition  is  this :  You  or  any  other  person, 
whether  Christian  or  sinner,  can  resolve  to  do,  or  to 
refrain  from  doing,  a  thing  relating  to  a  mere  moral 
subject,  where  love  is  not  excited,  where  no  personal 
benefit  can  accrue  or  be  reasonably  expected,  and  where 
no  injury  will  result  or  can  be  reasonably  apprehended 
from  the  resolution. 

/.  Please  give  me  some  illustrations  of  the  point. 

P.  I  will.  But,  in  order  clearly  to  understand  my 
proposition,  j^-ou  must  let  your  own  mind  act  upon  the 
illustrations;  and  I  will  therefore  propose  questions 
upon  them,  which  you  will  please  answer  aloud,  as 
before. 

I.  With  much  pleasure,  for  I  like  this  practical  mode ; 
it  gives  one  an  experimental,  and  therefore  a  convincing 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  at  once. 

P.  And  I  have  further  to  request  that  you  will 
refrain  from  trying  to  impress  on  your  mind  the  truths 
we  may  examine,  and  from  trying  to  feel  them,  or  to 
get   good   out  of  them,  as   you   have  been  heretofore 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  163 

accustomed  to  do.  That  course  will  divert  your  atten- 
tion from  the  thoughts  themselves;  you  will  lose  your 
time  and  labor,  and  I  shall  have  presented  them  in  vain. 

/.  But  I  always  supposed  that  the  way  to  get  good 
out  of  religious  truths,  was  to  try  to  feel  them  in  my 
heart.     Do  you  object  to  the  indulgence  of  feelings  ? 

P.  Of  course  not,  if  they  are  of  the  right  kind;  in 
which  case,  the  more  there  are  of  them,  the  better  it  will 
be.  But  ^ch  feelings  as  you  attempt  to  obtain  in  that 
way,  are  not  of  that  kind,  and  never  can  be  made  so; 
for  they  are  the  expedients  of  the  selfish  heart,  pro- 
duced for  an  ulterior  purpose.  Let  the  truth  produce 
its  own  legitimate  impressions  under  God,  and  such 
genuine  feelings  will  be  far  nearer  right. 

/.  I  will  exercise  my  understanding  only,  and  will  not 
try  hereafter  to  feel  what  you  say.  I  see  that  it  would 
be  selfish  and  useless,  as  well  as  a  hindrance  to  my 
undivided  attention  to  your  suggestions  and  arguments. 

P.  My  first  illustration  is  this :  Suppose  a  stranger  is 
walking  before  you,  who  happens  to  drop  his.  knife; 
and  as  you  advance,  you  pick  it  up,  and  I  immediately 
ask:  What  do  you  propose  to  do  with  that  knife? 
What  would  you  answer  ? 

/.  {aloud.)  That  I  would  give  it  to  the  stranger. 

P.  That  would  be  a  resolution.  I  ask  you  again: 
Why  do  you  resolve  to  give  it  to  him? 

L  Because  it  evidently  belongs  to  him. 

P,  That  would  be  the  reason  of  your  resolution. 
His  right  of  property  would  make  it  right  for  you  to 
return  the  knife.  Would  you  try  to  excite  love  in  your 
heart  toward  the  stranger,  in  order  to  restore  it? 

I.  No ;  that  would  be  foolish. 


164  CONVERSION. 

P.  Then  you  would  resolve  to  restore  the  property 
without  exercising  any  love.  Would  you  expect  to 
gain  any  personal  benefit  by  returning  it  ? 

/.  None  in  the  least ;  there  would  be  none  to  gain. 

P.  Then  you  would  resolve  without  anticipating  any 
benefit.     Would  you  fear  any  personal  injury? 

I.  None  whatever. 

P.  Then  you  would  resolve  without  apprehending 
any  evil.  In  this  case,  therefore,  where  there  was 
nothing  to  hope  for  or  to  fear,  and  where  love  was  not 
produced,  you  could  resolve  to  restore  the  property 
simply  under  the  impression  of  its  being  right  to  do  so. 
This  would  not  make  you  a  Christian,  nor  would  it 
teach  you  how  to  become  one,  so  as  to  succeed  in  your 
purposes. 

I.  I  am  not  so  foolish  as  to  suppose  that  such  an 
unfeeling  and  ordinary  act  would  show  me  that. 

P.  Being  so  common,  it  fails  to  raise-  all  the  mental 
questions  I  wish  to  reach.  In  order  to  which,  let  me 
give  another  illustration  to  precisely  the  same  point; 
and  you  must  become  a  party  in  it,  giving  audible 
answers  to  my  questions.  I  introduce  the  name  of 
God,  not  to  excite  your  love,  for  it  cannot  in  your 
present  selfish  state  of  heart,  but  merely  as  a  being  who 
has  rights,  just  as  that  stranger  had ;  and  not  to  teach 
you  how  to  go  to  Christ,  or  how  to  obtain  holy  feelings, 
or  how  to  accomplish,  now  or  hereafter,  any  thing 
required  in  the  Scriptures,  so  as  to  succeed  in  your 
purposes,  as  you  will  soon  abundantly  see. 

Z  If  I  cannot  act  from  a  right  state  of  the  heart,  it 
can  do  me  no  good,  of  course.  "With  the  heart 
man  believeth  unto  righteousness." — Kom.  10 :  10.    And 


OBSTACLES    TO    PKOGRESS.  166 

Christ  requires  that  "faith  which  works  by  ?ove." — 
Gal.  5 :  6.     Here  I  have  always  been  deficient. 

P.  The  Other  illustration  is  this :  God,  having  given 
you  life,  and  having  upheld  it  to  this  time,  has  an 
unquestionable  right  to  recall  it  whenever  he  so  wills. 
However  strong  your  desire  to  live  may  be,  it  would  be 
wrong  in  you  to  oppose  God  in  recalling  your  life  in 
his  own  appointed  time. 

I.  It  would  be  wrong,  no  doubt;  but  you  state  an 
apparently  impossible  case,  for  in  what  way  can  I  op- 
pose him? 

P.  I  do  not  say  that  you  can  oppose  him  successfully; 
but  you  can  resist  him  in  your  will,  as  well  as  in  the 
use  of  forbidden  means  to  preserve  life. 

I.  True;  and  I  ought  not  to  do  either  knowingly, 
since  he  has  a  perfect  right  to  recall  it. 

P.  He  will  certainly  recall  your  life  at  some  future 
period;  and  for  our  present  purposes  we  will  suppose 
that  he  intends  to  do  so  when  you  reach  the  good  old 
age  of  eighty  years.  Now,  on  this  supposition,  you 
ought  not  to  oppose  him  in  demanding  it  at  that 
time. 

/.  I  ought  not;  but  I  do  not  know  that  my  resolution 
will  be  observed,  if  formed. 

P.  You  cannot  tell,  to  be  sure;  but  let  us  suppose 
the  resolution  will  be  kept. 

/.  And  I  do  not  know  that  it  will  be  of  the  right 
kind. 

P.  You  may  certainly  know  that  it  will  not  be  of 
the  kind  you  wish;  for  you  are  now  selfish,  and  every 
resolution  you  make  must  be  done,  if  at  all,  as  you  now 
are;  that  is,  it  must  be  formed  with  the  selfish  heart, 


166  CONVERSION. 

and  must  therefore  be  itself  selfish.  But  you  will  be 
equally  selfish  if  you  do  not  resolve;  and  hence  you 
may  as  well  resolve  as  decline. 

I.  True.     I  will  answer  your  questions. 

P.  You  ought  not  to  oppose  God  in  recalling  your 
life — say,  when  you  reach  the  age  of  eighty  years:  Will 
you  oppose  him? 

/.  {aloud.)  No,  I  will  not,  on  the  supposition  that  I 
can  then  observe  my  present  resolution. 

P.  You  perceive  that  no  change  of  heart  has  occurred; 
and  that  you  have  derived  no  personal  benefit  from  this 
resolution. 

L  I  have  not ;  but  I  rather  expect  it,  when  I  come 
to  understand  you  more  perfectly. 

P.  In  that  you  will  find  yourself  mistaken ;  for  what- 
ever you  might  accomplish  otherwise,  you  cannot  do  it 
by  means  of  this  illustration,  as  I  will  proceed  to  show 
while  elucidating  the  main  principle  in  view — namely, 
that  you  can  resolve  on  a  moral  subject  where  love  is 
not  exercised,  and  where  there  is  nothing  personal  to 
hope  for,  or  to  apprehend.  It  is  clear  that  your  old 
religious  habits  are  revived  while  acting  on  this  illustra- 
tion; and  that  you  will  not  abandon  them  until  you 
become  convinced,  by  experiment  and  argument,  that 
you  can  derive  no  more  advantage  by  resolving  upon 
it,  than  you  wQuld  by  resolving  to  restore  his  knife  to 
the  stranger  in  the  case  supposed.  There  you  saw  that 
morality  was  not  piety. 

/.  I  confess  that  I  did  anticipate  some  help  from  it. 

P.  Let  us  see  if  you  can  obtain  it ;  and  you  will 
permit  me  to  repeat  the  question  as  often  as  it  shall 
become  necessary  to  test  the  action  of  your  mind  upon 


OBSTACLES    TO    PKOGRESS.  167 

tlie  point.     I  hope  you  will  not  become  fatigued,  if  I 
frequently  reiterate  it. 

/.  Certainly  not ;  you  know  best  wliat  to  do. 

P,  Oil  the  supposition  that  God  purposes  to  indulge 
you  in  a  long  life,  but  to  recall  it  at  eighty  years:  Will 
you  oppose  him  in  then  recalling  it? 

/.  {aloud.)  No. 

P.  Notwithstanding  all  your  wishes  and  ell'ort,  you 
have  attained  to  no  more  love  for  God  and  his  glory, 
by  this  resolution,  than  you  had  before. 

/.  No,  I  have  not. 

P.  And  you  never  can  in  your  present  state,  thoughr 
you  should  repeat  the  resolution  a  million  times. 
One  reason  is  this :  your  love  of  life  is  constitutional 
and  unconquerable ;  and  you  cannot  love  any  thing  that 
opposes  it,  because  no  one  can  love  two  such  opposite 
things  at  one  and  the  same  time.  Thus  you  cannot 
love  to  surrender  your  life,  because  you  now  love  to 
preserve  it ;  you  could  not  love  to  surrender  it  to  me^  or 
love  me  for  taking  it  from  you,  should  you  try  as  long 
as  li^  lasted. 

/.  Of  course  I  could  not,  so  long  as  I  loved  to  retain 
life,  which  must  be  always. 

P,  And  on  the  same  principle,  for  it  matters  not  who 
the  destroyer  is,  you  could  not  love  to  have  God  take 
your  life,  or  love  him  for  recalling  it. 

/.  I  see  now  that  I  could  not 

P.  Then  why  will  you  persist  in  trying  to  produce 
so  vain  a  thing?  A  reasonable  person  will  abandon 
what  he  sees  he  cannot  accomplish ;  but  a  lunatic  would 
as  like  as  not  persevere.  It  can  do  no  harm  to  cease 
trying  to  excite  love  to  a  holy  God  in  your  selfish 


168  CONVERSION. 

heart,  since  to  try  will  do  no  good.  Wherefore,  I  request 
that  3^ou  will  cease ; — if  you  do  not,  you  will  never  be 
able  fully  to  understand  my  proposition. 

I.  I  shall  try  no  more  to  get  love  to  God  by  means 
of  this  resolution.  On  reflection,  I  perceive  the  attempt 
would  be  foolish  in  opposition  to  my  strong  love  of  life. 

P.  But  as  you  cannot  get  love  to  God,  surely  you 
cannot  expect  to  succeed  without  it  ? 

/.  Certainly  not. 
.    P.  And  you  will  not,  as  will  be  abundantly  seen. 
Will  you  oppose  God  in  then  recalling  your  life,  seeing 
that  you  ought  not? 

I.  {aloud.)  No,  I  will  not. 

P.  You  can  perceive  that  you  have  acquired  no 
change,  or  other  benefit  by  this  resolution.  But  did 
you  not  mean  by  it  to  determine  that  you  ought  not 
to  oppose  him? 

I.  Yes,  I  resolved  that  I  ought  not. 

P.  But  I  did  not  ask  you  to  resolve  that  you  ought 
not,  but  that  you  would  not.  You  then  merely  assented 
to  the  very  palpable  fact  that  you  sJiould  not  oppose 
him ;  while  I  wanted  something  further,  a  determination 
of  the  will  that  you  would  not  do  so.  If  your  neighbor 
was  starving,  and  I  should  ask  you  whether  you  would 
resolve  to  give  him  food,  you  would  not  merely  reply 
that  you  ought  to  do  so;  that  would  be  taken  for 
granted  by  both  of  us;  but  your  answer  would  be  that 
jou' would  do  it.  So  it  is  not  necessary  to  resolve  that 
you  ought  not  to  oppose  God  in  this  respect;  but  the 
question  is,  Will  you  refrain  from  doing  what  you  admit 
you  ought  not  to  do?  Will  you  abstain  from  opposing 
God  in  recalling  your  life? 


OBSTACLES    TO    PKOGRESS.  169 

/.  {aloud.)  I  will  not  oppose  him.  I  understand  the 
point  better  now.     I  ought  not  to  do  it,  and  I  will  not. 

P.  I  wish  you  to  keep  your  mind  from  wandering 
upon  other  subjects,  and  to  confine  your  thoughts  and 
answers  to  this  illustration  for  the  present. 

/.  I  will  do  so. 

P,  On  the  supposition  that  you  will  be  able  to 
observe  the  resolution,  will  you  oppose  God  in  recalling 
your  life? 

/.  iahud.)  No. 

P.  You  have  effected  no  change,  nor  have  you  ac- 
quired any  benefit  whatever  from  this  resolution;  nor 
will  you  if  you  repeat  it  for  years. 

/.  I  have  no  different  feelings,  nor  any  evidence  of 
any  success. 

P.  But  did  you  not  merely  acquiesce  in  his  recalling 
your  life,  because  of  the  necessity  of  the  case?  You 
knew  that  you  could  not  prevent  God,  and  concluded 
that  therefore  you  would  not  try? 

/.  Yes;  I  knew  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  oppose  him. 

P.  It  certainly  would  be  in  vain,  for  he  is  all  power- 
ful. While  it  is  immaterial  what  your  motives  are,  as 
respects  any  success  in  your  object,  since  you  can  never 
learn  how  to  secure  your  happiness  by  means  of  this 
illustration,  yet  I  want  some  afl&rmative  and  positive 
action,  rather  than  a  reluctant  acquiescence,  in  order  to 
exhibit  the  point  which  I  have  in  view ;  and  the  con- 
sideration of  your  inability  to  prevent  God,  cannot 
produce  such  action.  Besides,  so  far  as  it  influences 
you,  it  becomes  an  immoral  and  unworthy  motive ;  for, 
to  say  that  you  will  not  oppose  God  because  you  cannot 
do  it  successfully,  is  only  to  show  that  you  would  do  it 
15 


170  CON  V  E  li  S  I O  X  . 

if  you  could  succeed.  But  you  ought  not,  even  if  you 
could.  If  you  had  the  power,  in  the  case  supposed,  to 
prevent  the  stranger  from  recovering  his  lost  knife,  it 
would  be  disgraceful  to  use  it;  for  might  never  confers 
a  right.  Should  some  superior  being,  who  was  able  to 
do  so,  clothe  you  with  power  sufficient  to  prevent  God 
from  recalling  your  life,  the  desire  of  life  might  tempt 
you  to  hinder  him;  but,  as  he  has  lent  it  to  you,  and 
preserves  it  for  you,  it  would  still  be  wrong  to  use  the 
power.  It  would  be  proper  to  employ  it  as  against  me, 
for  I  have  no  claims  over  your  life ;  but,  as  against  God, 
it  would  be  shaimefully  improper.  On  the  supposition 
that  you  now  actually  possess  such  power,  will  you  use 
it  to  oppose  G  od  in  recalling  your  life  ? 

/.  I  will  not,  admitting  that  I  could  prevent  him.  It 
would  be  wrong. 

P.  Although  this  is  a  proper  conclusion  in  a  moral 
sense,  it  has  not  produced  any  change  of  heart,  or  ena- 
bled you  to  secure  your  future  safety  and  peace? 

Z  I  am  aware  that  it  has  not. 

P.  Let  me  repeat  the  question:  Will  you  oppose  God 
in  recalling  your  life? 

J.  {aloud.)  No,  I  will  not. 

P.  And  you  can  perceive  that  no  change  or  other 
benefit  has  resulted  from  this  last  determination. 

/.  None  at  all. 

P.  But  did  you  not,  in  answering,  try  to  feel  willing 
to  die,  under  the  hope  that  you  might  become  prepared 
for  death  and  future  happiness  by  that  means  ? 

/.  Yes;  I  desired  that  evidence  of  a  preparation, 
and  hoped  to  answer  in  a  proper  way. 

P.  But  could  you  become  perfectly  willing  to  die,  it 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  171 

would  be  no  valid  evidence,  in  itself,  that  jour  heart 
was  in  a  state  of  preparation  for  a  lioly  existence  beyond 
the  grave.  In  fact,  no  one  can 'be  willing  to  die,  in 
itself  considered ;  for  the  desii^e  of  life  is  a  constitu- 
tional propensity  which  cannot  be  obliterated.  The 
sinner,  under  the  temporary  influence  of  overwhelming 
cares,  the  wasting  debility  of  sickness,  intense  bodily 
suffering,  or  a  hope  of  safety  and  ecstatic  happiness 
hereafter,  may  become  more  willing  to  be  relieved,  or  to 
enter  upon  such  enjoyment,  than  to  retain  his  life;  but 
such  a  state  of  mind  is  purely  selfish,  and  constitutes  no 
preparation  of  heart  for  the  scenes  which  await  the  saint 
in  eternity.  There  can  be  no  preparation  for  them  short 
of  a  preference  of  God  and  his  glory ;  and  whoever  has 
that  is  in  a  proper  state,  whether,  under  the  circum- 
stances, he  is  willing  or  reluctant  to  surrender  life  in 
itself  considered.  You  can  perceive,  therefore,  that 
could  you  actually  become  willing  to  die  by  means  of 
resolving  on  this  illustration,  it  could  not  benefit  you 
in  respect  to  your  desired  safety  and  happiness;  and 
that  it  will  be  folly  to  expect  or  seek  for  it. 

/.  I  am  convinced  of  the  uselessness  of  trying  to  feel 
willing  to  die,  and  will  attempt  it  no  more. 

P.  I  ask  again:  Will  you  oppose  God  in  recalling 
your  life? 

/.  {aloud)  No. 

P.  You  have  acquired  no  change  of  heart  by  this 
resolution  ? 

/.  No,  I  have  not. 

P.  Nor  have  you  derived  any  worldly  or  temporal 
benefit  from  it;  nor  would  you,  by  observing  it  per- 
fectly. 


172  CON  VERSION. 

/.  None  whatever.  It  never  occurred  to  me  to  look 
for  worldly  advantage  from  the  resolution ;  for  as  it  has 
not  the  least  bearing  on  that  subject,  there  is  no  such 
good  to  be  obtained  from  it 

P.  Will  you  oppose  God  in  recalling  your  life? 

Z  {aloud.)  No. 

P.  You  have  effected  no  change,  as  you  can  perceive. 
Nor  have  you,  as  you  expected,  escaped  from  sin,  so  as 
to  please  God  and  secure  your  safety  and  peace. 

L  I  did  hope  to,  but  have  not  succeeded. 

P.  God  has  not  given  to  his  creatures  the  power  to 
determine  how  long  they  shall  live ;  and,  so  far  as  I  am 
aware,  the  Scriptures  do  not  any  where  present  such  a 
resolution  as  this  for  our  adoption.  I  have  taken  it  up 
for  the  purposes  that  have  been  suggested.  It  would 
answer  most  of  them,  to  substitute  Mohammed  in  place 
of  God  as  having  such  right  over  your  life;  and  it  would 
have  this  advantage — namely,  that  the  merely  moral 
aspect  of  the  point  would  be  so  clear  that  you  would 
not  in  the  least  expect  to  escape  sin,  so  as  to  please 
God  and  secure  your  happiness  by  means  of  it;  but  I 
will  use  no  such  supposition  in  respect  to  that  im- 
poster.  Your  own  experiments  abundantly  prove  that 
no  resolution  on  this  illustration  can  benefit  you  in  that 
respect;  while  your  sound  judgment  must  satisfy  you, 
even  without  an  experiment,  that  a  heartless  resolution, 
as  in  the  present  case,  must  be  unavailing. 

/.  I  now  clearly  see  that  I  cannot  escape  sin  by  it  so 
as  to  please  God  and  secure  my  happiness;  and  I  shall 
not  try  hereafter. 

P.  Will  you  oppose  God  in  recalling  your  life  ? 

/.  {aloud.)  No. 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  173 

P.  No  change  has  been  secured,  as  you  can  see ;  but 
did  you  not  endeavor  to  form  a  strong  resolution? 

/.  Yes.  I  wanted  one,  as  a  friend  once  expressed  it, 
as  big  as  a  mountain;  one  which  would  be  adequate 
to  the  occasion,  and  which  I  should  be  sure  to  keep. 

P.  Of  course  the  resolution  should  be  observed;  but 
the  effort  to  make  one  deep  and  strong  will  no  more  in- 
sure that,  than  if  it  was  made  in  a  natural  way.  Your 
object  was  to  get  some  benefit  out  of  the  effort;  but 
in  this  you  must  fail,  even  if  you  could  be  as  profound 
as  you  desire.  Where  the  heart  is  not  enlisted  for  the 
glory  of  God,  no  such  substitute  will  avail.  I  recom- 
mend you  to  try  it  no  more;  for  you  will  fail  in  your 
object,  and  it  will  prevent  your  understanding  the  point 
which  I  wish  to  make  clear  to  your  mind. 

/.  I  shall  not  do  any  thing  knowingly  to  hinder  your 
opening  my  understanding  on  that  subject;  and  will 
make  no  further  efforts  to  form  a  profound  resolution. 
I  will  answer  naturally,  just  as  I  did  in  the  case  of 
returning  the  knife  to  the  stranger. 

P.  That  will  be  right,  although  it  will  effect  no 
personal  benefit.  I  have  now  proved  that  you  can- 
not resolve  on  this  illustration  with  love  to  God,  or 
learn  by  it  how  to  love  him  hereafter,  so  as  to  succeed. 
I  have  also  proved  that  there  is  nothing  personal  to 
gain,  and  therefore  nothing  to  hope  for,  by  resolving 
upon  it ;  that  you  camiot  become  willing  to  die  so  as  to 
be  prepared,  nor  can  you  escape  from  sin  so  as  to 
please  God  and  secure  your  pardon,  peace,  and  safety. 
This  substantiates  two  of  my  propositions — namely, 
that  on  a  moral  subject  any  person  can  resolve  to 
do  or  not  to  do  a  thing,  where  love  is  not  excited,  and 
15* 


174  CONVERSION. 

where  there  is  nothing  to  gain  or  hope  for.  I  think 
you  must  now  be  convinced  that  you  cannot,  by  means 
of  this  illustration,  learn  how  to  love  God  so  as  to 
succeed;  and  that  there  is  no  personal  benefit  what- 
ever to  be  acquired  by  means  of  any  resolution  you  can 
form  upon  it. 

I.  I  am  perfectly  convinced ;  and  shall  try  no  more  to 
resolve  upon  it  with  love ;  and  it  is  evident  that  I  can 
reasonably  expect  no  good  that  I  desire  from  it. 

P.  One  fair  experiment  upon  any  point  should  be  as 
conclusive  as  a  thousand,  and  will  be  so  received  by 
every  reasonable  person.  You  will  next  observe,  that 
you  hazard  nothing  by  this  resolution,  because  it  can 
place  you  in  no  greater  danger  than  you  are  in  already. 
In  the  first  place,  to  form  it  in  a  wrong  or  selfish  man- 
ner, can  be  no  more  displeasing  to  God,  than  any  other 
act  where  every  thing  you  do  is  selfish. 

/.  Certainly  God  cannot  be  specially  offended  by  such 
an  act. 

P.  Again:  your  life  is  already  entirely  within  his 
power.  No  resolution  you  can  form  will  make  him 
destroy  it  any  the  sooner ;  for  he  has  already  determined 
our  days  (Job  14 : 5),  and  he  is  neither  to  be  so  dis- 
pleased, or  pleased,  by  any  thing  you  can  do,  as  to 
change  his  purpose.  You  have  nothing  to  fear,  there- 
fore, in  respect  to  placing  your  life  in  his  hands,  or  in 
incurring  any  greater  immediate  or  remote  hazard. 

I.  I  perceive  it  will  make  no  difference  whatever  in 
those  respects. 

P.  Nor  will  you  be  punished  any  the  sooner.  You 
probably  feared  that  you  might  be  punished  immedi- 
ately unless  you  formed  the  resolution  right,  and  this, 


•    OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  175 

perhaps,  made  you  hesitate;  but,  however  it  may  be 
formed,  your  day  of  retribution  cannot  be  hastened. 
God  is  not  affected  in  this  respect,  as  sinners  seem  to 
suppose,  by  what  they  may  please  to  do,  or  refuse  to  do. 

/.  I  see  that  my  punishment  would  be  rendered  no 
more  certain,  or  near,  by  resolving  on  the  question. 

P.  Let  us  test  the  point  whether  you  have  any  thing 
to  fear :  Will  you  oppose  God  in  recalling  your  life : 

/.  {aloud.)  No. 

P.  Are  you  now  any  more  in  the  power  of  God  than 
before?  is  your  life  or  soul  in  any  greater  or  more 
immediate  danger? 

/.  No.  I  am  now  convinced  that  I  have  nothing  to 
apprehend  in  forming  the  resolution. 

P.  You  have  nothing  to  fear ;  and  as  I  stated  at  first, 
you  cannot  do  it  with  love,  and  there  is  nothing  to 
hope  for.  Why  then  try  to  have  love,  or  why  expect 
any  thing,  or  why  fear  any  injury  from  it? 

/.  I  neither  exp(?Ct  nor  fear  any  thing  from  it.  I 
understand  the  subject  better  now. 

P.  Will  you  oppose  God  in  recalling  your  life? 

I.  (aloud.)  No. 

P.  You  have  eifected  no  change,  of  course ;  but  did 
you  not  endeavor  to  resolve  sincerely,  so  as  to  become 
willing  not  to  oppose  God? 

/.  Yes ;  I  did  endeavor  to  be  sincere  in  it. 

P.  I  perceive  you  have  introduced  one  of  your  old 
religious  habits  into  this. moral  illustration,  as  I  sup- 
posed would  be  the  case;  and  as  this  is  one  of  the 
hindrances  which  I  proposed  to  explain,  we  will  look  at 
the  character  of  that  habit  for  a  few  moments.  When- 
ever you  have  endeavored,  in  past  years,  to  give  your- 


176  CONVERSION. 

self  up  to  God,  you  have  always  tried  to  do  it  sincerely ; 
and  in  order  to  be  sincere,  you  have  sought  to  produce 
sorrow  for  sin,  love  to  God,  deeper  anxieties  for  your 
salvation,  and  the  like,  under  the  supposition  that,  if 
you  could  give  yourself  up  to  him  with  a  sufficient 
degree  of  feeling,  it  would  be  done  sincerely,  and  that 
he  would  then,  pardon  and  accept  y ou  ? 

/.  Yes.  I  have  always  tried  to  summon  sincere 
feelings ;  for  I  could  not  otherwise  be  accepted. 

P.  A  careless  resolution  can  be  of  no  avail  of  course ; 
for  it  does  not  carry  the  mind  with  it.  But  even  where 
the  mind  has  become  most  intensely  interested,  the 
way  you  adopted  has  no  tendency  to  produce  a  properly 
sincere  resolution. 

/.  Indeed  I  If  the  effort  to  be  sincere  in  my  feelings 
is  wrong,  pray  how  am  I  ever  to  resolve  sincerely? 

P.  Will  you  oblige  me  by  carefully  reading  over  my 
last  remarks,  a  few  lines  above  ? 

L  Yes,  to  oblige  you.  ' 

P.  Then  do  so,  before  you  proceed  any  further.  *  * 
*  *  *^  When  you  consented  to  read  those  lines,  was 
you  sincere  in  it? 

I.  Yes;  I  meant  to  do  it. 

P.  But  you  did  not  make  any  effort  to  mean  it  ?  You 
did  not  try  to  be  willing  to  read  them  ?  You  did  not 
seek  to  produce  sorrow,  or  love,  or  anxiety,  or  any 
other  feeling,  in  order  to  be  sincere  in  your  consent 
to  read  them? 

/.  No;  that  would  have  been  absurd  on  such  a 
subject.     I  just  consented  without  any  effort. 

P.  And  you  became  willing  to  read  over  my  remarks? 

/.  Yes. 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  177 

P,  What  evidence  have  you  of  being  sincere  ? 

I.  The  evidence  of  consciousness  that  I  meant  it ;  but 
I  had  no  excitement  of  feeling.  Besides,  I  know  I  was 
sincere  because  I  actually  read  over  those  lines. 

P.  Your  religious  purposes  did  not  any  more  require 
such  efforts  after  feeling,  in  order  to  be  sincere,  than 
did  this  consent  to  read  those  lines.  And  such  efforts 
were  as  absurd  in  those  cases,  as  they  would  have  been 
in  this,  besides  being  selfish  and  impracticable. 

/.  Will  you  please  explain  this?  I  always  thought 
sinners  should  anxiously  try  to  feel  love,  sorrow,  and 
the  like,  in  order  to  be  sincere  in  their  dedication. 

P,  To  do  so,  is  a  futile  effort  on  their  part  to  act  upon 
mental  principles  for  which  nature  has  made  no  pro- 
vision, but  which  selfish  persons,  and  some  Christians 
in  their  ignorance,  are  always  insisting  upon.  If  you 
had  concluded  to  purchase  some  goods  because  you  were 
suited  with  the  quality  and  price,  you  would  ridicule  the 
merchant  if  he  should  refuse  to  sell  them  simply  be- 
cause he  doubted  your  sincerity  from  seeing  no  exhibi- 
tion of  feeling  on  your  part.  You  would  tell  him 
that  those  motives  for  the  purchase,  rather  than  any 
casual  emotions  which  might  or  might  not  be  excited 
in  the  mind,  were  the  best  test  of  the  sincerity  of  your 
purpose.  All  your  expedients  to  mean  or  feel  what 
you  resolved  upon,  were  selfish;  for  you  acted  under 
the  impulse  of  your  selfish  desires  for  safety  and  peace 
in  all  of  them,  and  your  ultimate  aim  was  to  secure 
your  future  happiness. 

L  That  certainly  was  my  object. 

P.  And  you  took  a  very  unwise  course  to  obtain  it, 
if  you  will  allow  me  to  say  so,  as  I  will  show.    Suppose 


178  CONVERSION. 

you  had  my  watch  in  your  possession,  and  that  you 
desired  exceedingly  to  retain  and  use  it;  but  I  come 
and  demand  its  return  to  me  as  a  matter  of  right. 
Instead  of  frankly  consenting  to  restore  it,  you  cast 
about  for  some  plan  to  make  me  willing  to  leave  it  in 
your  possession ;  and  you  finally  conclude  that  if  you 
can  consent  to  return  it  with  feelings  of  love,  sorrow, 
and  the  like,  and  if  you  can  really  mean  it,  you  will  suc- 
ceed in  making  me  favorably  disposed  to  your  retaining 
the  watch.  Accordingly,  when  I  ask  you  for  it,  you 
begin  a  mental  struggle  after  right  feelings,  and  try  to 
mean  it,  as  you  drawl  out  a  consent ;  but  when  I  reach 
forth  my  hand  to  take  it,  you  draw  back  and  refuse, 
allegiug  that  you  had  not  consented  sincerely,  and  that 
you  must  try  again,  hoping  to  bring  me  over  to  your 
designs?  This  would  be  rank  selfishness,  as  well  as 
folly;  and  only  upon  my  peremptority  demanding  the 
watch,  declaring  that  in  no  event  should  it  be  returned 
to  you,  would  you  abandon  such  expedients,  and  consent, 
though  reluctantly,  to  restore  it  to  me.  And  precisely 
similar  were  your  efforts  to  be  sincere  in  giving  yourself 
to  Grod ;  you  wanted  at  such  times  to  consent  with  feel- 
ings of  sorrow  for  sin,  love  to  God,  and  the  like,  in 
order  to  render  him  favorable,  so  that  you  might  get 
safely  across  that  gulf  of  perdition  which  intervened 
between  you  and  Christ. 

/.  I  see  it  now  perfectly.     It  was  all  selfish. 

P.  But,  in  addition,  those  efforts  after  right  feelings 
were  totally  impracticable ;  for  you  were  engaged  in  an 
expedient  to  produce  holy  exercises  out  of  an  unholy 
heart! — a  thing  which  no  one,  not  even  God  himself, 
is  able   to   accomplish.      It    is   a  moral  contradiction, 


OBSTACLES  TO  rROGKESS.        179 

and  therefore  a  moral  impossibility.  "Who  can  bring 
a  clean  thing  out  of  an  nnclean?  Not  one." — Job  14:4. 
None  but  unholy  feelings  can  be  exercised  by  an 
unholy  heart.  "An  evil  man,  out  of  the  evil  treasure 
of  his  heart,  bringeth  forth  that  which  is  evil." — Luke 
6 :  45.  God  requires,  therefore,  a  new  heart,  and  not 
a .  remodeling  of  the  old  one  with  its  selfish  impulses 
and  exercises. — Ez.  18 :  31. 

/.  I  am  convinced  of  the  uselessness  of  my  efforts  to 
acquire  sincere  feehngs,  or  to  mean  things. 

P.  The  sooner  you  abandon  them,  the  better  for  you ; 
for  they  have  already  made  you  so  habitually  selfish, 
that  it  is  doubtful  whether  you  can  break  their  chains. 
"Can  the  Ethiopian  change  his  skin,  or  the  leopard  his 
spots?  then  may  ye  also  do  good  [turn  to  a  supreme 
love  to  God  in  your  heart,  and  live  in  a  holy  obedience 
in  your  deportment]  who  are  accustomed  to  do  evil," 
who  are  habituated  to  indulge  the  selfish  heart,  and  to 
live  in  disobedience  to  God. — Jer.  13 :  23.  To  abandon 
them  can  never  do  you  harm,  since  the  pursuit  of  them 
can  never  do  you  good,  as  I  have  had  occasion  to 
remark  before. 

/.  I  will  never  again  try  in  such  ways  to  be  sincere. 

P.  But  further:  Whenever  you  have  thus  tried  to 
give  yourself  to  God  sincerely,  you  expected,  if  suc- 
cessful, to  know  it,  by  having  some  new  and  happy 
feelings  occur,  or  some  sense  of  .pardon  given  to  you,  as 
an  evidence  that  you  were  accepted  of  God  ? 

/.  Certainly ;  I  always  expected  such  a  change  when- 
ever I  obtained  feeling  enough. 

P.  When  you  consented  just  now  to  read  over  those 
lines,  did  you  have  any  new  feelings  burst  in  upon  you, 


180  CONVERSION. 

as  an  evidence  that  you  was  sincere  in  the  consent, 
and  that  no  injury  would  befall  you  ? 

I.  No ;  it  would  have  been  absurd  to  look  for  them 
in  such  a  case. 

P.  But  how  do  you  know  that  you  was  sincere  in 
that  consent? 

L  Because  I  was  conscious  of  having  made  up  my 
mind  to  read  the  lines,  and  because  I  actually  read 
them,  as  I  observed  before. 

P,  And  such  is  the  rational  evidence  from  conscious- 
ness and  action  which  we  are  to  receive  in  the  other 
case  also.  In  the  first  place,  your  endeavors  after  such 
feelings  as  evidences  of  your  acceptance  were  purely 
selfish,  and  they  retained  you  in  selfishness.  When 
you  made  the  attempt,  and  paused  to  see  whether  any 
change  had  occurred,  it  was  an  undisguised  plan  to 
ascertain  whether  you  had  got  safely  across  that  gulf 
of  perdition — whether  you  had  succeeded  in  pleasing 
God,  and  in  securing  your  eternal  safety  and  peace. 

/.  Yes;  I  perceive  that  I  wanted  them  as  evidences 
of  my  own  deliverance,  rather  than  of  the  glory  of  God. 

P.  And  the  more  anxiously  you  sought  them,  the 
more  habitually  selfish  you  became.  Consequently, 
unless  these  plans  are  abandoned,  the  habit  will  be 
your  ruin. 

/.  I  will  never  try  it  again. 

P.  Such  mechanical  efforts  must  necessarily  be  una- 
vailing. But,  in  the  next  place,  all  the  feelings  which 
you  could  so  acquire  would  be  selfish ;  for,  as  the  efforts 
were  those  of  the  selfish  heart,  the  feelings  must  have 
the  same  character  as  their  source.  Accordingly,  you 
have  discovered  that  all  those  which  you  obtained  at  the 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  181 

time  of  your  first  hope,  such  as  the  relief,  the  satisfaction 
at  the  thought  of  being  in  a  hopeful  way,  the  pleasure 
of  thinking  that  you  were  actually  changed,  the  hope  of 
pardon  and  its  pleasures,  and  the  like,  were  all  selfish 
and  spurious,  and  no  valid  evidences  whatever  of  a 
change  of  heart  or  of  your  acceptance  with  God. 

L  Yes ;  I  see  they  must  be  selfish  still. 

P.  The  Christian — he  who  prefers  God  and  his  glory 
to  all  other  things — will  eventually  have  those  spontane- 
ous holy  affections  before  described ;  but  these  are  far 
different  from  those  you  sought. 

L  I  perceive  it;  and  shall  beware  of  being  again 
deluded  by  them.  But  I  supposed  that  God  would 
give  them  in  answer  to  prayer. 

P.  We  do  not  live  in  an  age  of  miracles.  Their  object 
having  been  accomplished,  they  have  ceased ;  and  to 
revive  and  make  them  common,  would  destroy  the  main 
foundation  on  which  the  evidences  of  the  inspiration  of 
divine  revelation  rests.  Eevelation  discloses  what  are 
the  valid  evidences  of  regeneration,  as  we  have  seen. 
Besides,  should  God  give  you,  either  suddenly  or  gradu- 
ally, such  evidences  as  you  desire,  he  would  become  an 
accomplice  in  your  unholiness  by  aiding  your  selfish 
projects ;  which,  as  we  have  seen,  would  most  effectually 
destroy  his  own  character  and  ruin  him.  But  he  will 
never  thus  "disgrace  the  throne  of  his  glory." — Jer.  14: 
21.  Consequently,  your  attributing  to  him,  and  as  his 
gift,  those  selfish  feelings  you  cherished,  was  a  gross 
insult  to  God. 

/.  I  cannot  reasonably  expect  them  from  him,  either 
suddenly  or  gradually. 

P.  As  all  such  efforts  to  be  sincere,  and  to  obtain 
16 


182  CONVERSION. 

feelings  are  so  useless  and  selfish,  abstain  from  them 
hereafter;  and  when  you  resolve  upon  any  thing,  or 
when  you  answer  any  of  my  questions,  do  it  in  a 
natural  way,  just  as  you  consented  to  read  over  those 
lines,  and  without  looking  for  evidences.  This  is  the 
only  way  in  which  the  mind  can  act  on  such  occasions ; 
but  you  will  not,  even  in  this  manner,  secure  your  self- 
ish happiness  or  learn  by  it  how  to  succeed.  Especially 
in  acting  upon  the  moral  illustration  I  have  presented, 
where  you  can  derive  no  personal  benefit  under  any 
circumstances,  avoid  trying  to  mean  what  you  say,  try- 
ing to  be  sincere  or  to  arouse  feelings,  and  looking  for 
a  change  or  evidence — for  all  will  be  in  vain 

/.  I  am  convinced  of  it,  and  will  not  try  again 

P.  Permit  me  to  put  these  points  to  a  practical  test 
by  repeating  my  question,  and  by  your  answering  with- 
out any  effort  to  be  sincere,  or  to  secure  an  evidence: 
Will  you  oppose  God  in  recalling  your  life  ? 

/.  {aloud.)  No,  I  will  not. 

P.  Did  you  try  to  mean  it,  or  try  to  have  sincere 
feelings,  or  endeavor  to  obtain  an  evidence  ? 

/.  I  did  not. 

P.  But  you  have  effected  no  such  change  or  other 
benefit,  even  in  this  way,  as  I  said.  Still,  never  repeat 
your  former  useless,  selfish,  and  ruinous  plans  to  be 
sincere,  or  to  secure  an  evidence  of  safety. 

f.  I  never  will. 

P.  Til  us,  it  is  shown  that  one  can  resolve  on  a  moral 
subject,  where  love  is  not  excited,  and  where  there  is 
nothing  either  to  hope  for  or  to  fear.  If  I  understand 
you  aright,  you  have  now  resolved  not  to  oppose 
God  in  recalling  your  life,  but  without  being  induced 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS. 


Or  r. 


thereto  by  love,  and  without  hoping  for  any  benefit,  and 
without  fearing  any  injury? 

/.  Yes.  I  have  acquired  no  love  to  God,  nor  have  I 
been  in  any  wise  benefited  or  injured.  It  is  singular 
that  I  should  have  expected  any  advantage  from  such 
a  resolution.  Even  to  the  last,  I  hoped  it  would  afford 
some  valuable  information  how  to  succeed  hereafter. 

P.  And  this,  in  defiance  of  both  reason  and  experi- 
ence !  "Well  may  you  tremble  at  the  strength  of  your 
selfish  habits,  since  they  even  pervert  your  reasonable 
conclusions.  It  is  evident  that  you  still  suppose  that 
this  is  some  plan  adopted  to  enable  you  to  succeed  in 
your  object,  notwithstanding  my  declarations  and  the 
abundant  proofe  to  the  contrary ;  and  this  makes  it 
necessary  to  examine  what  you  can  and  cannot  do,  on 
religious  subjects  generally,  which  we  will  enter  upon 
in  the  next  chapter.  Let  me  request  your  patient 
and  deliberate  attention  while  pursuing  this  important 
subject. 

/.  You  have  my  confidence.  I  will  dispassionately 
investigate  every  subject  you  may  present;  and  will 
take  my  position  firmly  upon  each,  as  the  truth  shall 
require. 


CHAPTER  YIL 


OBSTACLES   TO    THE   SINNER'S    PROGRESS. 


Pastor.  Let  us  now  examine  somewhat  minutely  the 
feasibility  of  your  efforts,  in  your  present  state  of  mind, 
to  succeed  on  subjects  of  a  confessedly  religious  char- 
acter. The  inquiry  will  convince  you  that  all  will  be 
entirely  selfish,  and  therefore  unavailing;  and  you  will 
then  be  able  more  intelligently  to  appreciate  the  office 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  propose,  as  before,  to  ask  ques- 
tions for  your  audible  answers;  I  wish  you  to  answer 
without  any  efforts  at  sincerity  or  for  evidences,  meaning 
what  you  say  precisely  as  you  would  mean  a  resolution 
on  any  ordinary  subject.  I  hope  you  will  remember 
my  suggestion,  that  one  good  argument,  or  one  unsuc- 
cessful experiment,  is  as  valid  and  should  be-  as  con- 
vincing as  ten  thousand,  and  that  by  yielding  to  such 
convictions  you  will  save  an  unnecessary  loss  of  time. 

Inquirer.  I  will  do  as  you  advise.  I  perceive  that 
you  understand  my  exercises  and  expedients  far  better 
than  I  do  myself;  and  I  shall  hereafter  be  governed  by 
your  opinions  in  these  respects. 

P.  And  you  may  rest  assured  that  your  confidence 
shall  not  be  abused.  In  order  to  be  thorough,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  repeat  a  question  or  two  already  proposed. 
You  will  find  that  the  predominant  desire  for  your 
own  happiness  will  influence  you  in  every  answer;  that 


OBSTACLES    TO    PliOGKESS.  185 

every  thing  you  attempt  will  be  as  an  expedient  or 
means  to  accomplish  such  desire;  and  that,  however 
much  you  may  labor  to  dismiss  the  idea,  every  thing,  and 
even  such  labors  themselves,  will  be  done  with  an  ulti- 
mate view  to  effect  your  own  future  safety  and  happiness. 

/.  If  so,  I  shall  be  most  profoundly  selfish  in  them  all. 

P.  Let  us  now  test  that  fact.  Will  .you  serve  the 
Lord  hereafter? 

I.  {ahud.)  I  will  endeavor  to  do  so. 

P.  Why  ?  You  acted  from  a  desire  to  serve  him,  did 
you  not? 

/.  Yes ;  I  should  like  to,  if  I  could  do  so  in  a  proper 
way. 

P.  And  you  desired  to  do  so  in  order  to  please  him, 
and  thereby  secure  your  future  safety  and  peace? 

/.  Yes,  of  course.  I  have  no  other  predominant 
desire  than  that  for  my  own  welfare. 

P,  And,  consequently,  you  were  selfish  in^this  resolu- 
tion to  serve  him.  It  was  a  plan  to  accomplish  your 
selfish  happiness. 

/.  I  perceive  that  I  was  entirely  selfish  in  it. 

P.  This  desire,  as  we  have  seen,  has  become  so 
habitual,  and  is  so  endeared  to  your  heart,  that  it  rises 
and  influences  your  actions  in  spite  of  every  effort  to 
the  contrary,  whenever  those  subjects  are  presented 
which  involve  your  eternal  welfare.  Should  you  per- 
severe for  an  hour,  the  same  desire  would  be  excited, 
and  would  influence  you  each  time;  and  should  you 
persevere  for  a  day,  a  week,  a  month,  a  year,  and  all 
the  years  of  your  life,  it  would  be  excited  on  each 
occasion ;  with  this  difference  only,  that  on  every  repeti- 
tion it  would  become  more  habitual  and  decisive,  if 
16* 


186  '       coNVEKbivi:,. 

possible,  and  thus  insure  absolute  ruin.  Tiie  path  of 
safety,  therefore,  is  far  from  encouraging  such  desires, 
or  from  relying  upon  any  resolutions  or  other  efforts 
produced  under  them.  If  you  are  wise,  you  will 
renounce  all  confidence  in  them,  and  will  cease  making- 
any  further  experiments  to  succeed. 

/.  I  perceive  that,  having  only  such  desires  to  influ- 
ence me,  every  resolution  of  obedience  must  be  formed 
under  them ;  and  every  effort  to  avoid  the  desire  being 
selfish,  the  resolution  must  be  unavailing.  I  do  not 
need  an  hundred  experiments  to  convince  me  of  this; 
nor  that  the  oftener  I  repeat  the  resolution,  the  more 
habitual  my  selfishness  will  become ;  nor  that  I  cannot 
succeed  hereafter  in  that  which  is  impossible  now,  since 
hereafter  the  difiiculties  must  be  increased  rather  than 
diminished.  I  will  make  no  more  endeavors  to  succeed 
by  such  means. 

P.  Correctly  said;  and  I  repeat  again  that  you  can 
lose  nothing  by  such  a  determination,  since  you  could 
gain  nothing  by  persevering.  Still,  God  remains  enti- 
tled to  your  holy  service  even  though  you  have  placed 
yourself  in  so  helpless  a  position;  and  he  will  never 
surrender  his  claim. 

/.  I  admit  it. 

P.  Treat  every  other  selfish  expedient  in  the  same 
manner,  and  you  will  speedily  arrive  at  a  correct  knowl- 
edge of  the  whole  subject. 

/.  Of  course  I  shall  not,  knowingly,  waste  my  efforts 
upon  the  repetition  of  any  act,  which  it  is  before  seen 
must  be  selfish. 

P.  Our  natural  sympathies  always  indicate  that  we 
should  endeavor  to  promote  the  best  good  of  society, 


OBSTACLES    TO    PKOGllESS.  187 

of  our  country,  and  of  the  world  at  large:  Will  you 
endeavor  to  do  so? 

/.  {aloud.)  Yes ;  if  it  could  be  done  in  a  proper  way. 

P.  That  is,  in  a  way  to  please  God,  secure  his  pardon- 
ing favor,  and  thereby  your  own  future  happiness  ? 

/.  Yes;  such  was  my  desire. 

P.  And  consequently,  you  were  entirely  selfish  in  it, 
for  the  reasons  before  given.  However  strong  your 
sympathies,  they  belong  to  one's  natural  character,  and 
your's  are  under  the  domination  of  your  selfish  desires ; 
that  is,  you  indulge  your  benevolence  solely  in  order 
to  gratify  yourself;  whereas,  God  requires  a  holy  moral 
character,  and  the  subserviency  of  those  sympathies  to 
his  glory  ultimately. 

/.  You  are  right.  I  never  before  so  distinctly  per- 
ceived the  utter  selfishness  of  those  ostensibly  benevo- 
lent feelings  and  practices  of  patriotism,  philanthropy, 
and  the  like,  on  which  so  many  rear  their  invalid  hopes 
of  their  own  future  happiness.  I  shall  try  no  more 
to  succeed  by  such  means,  for  I  see  that  to  repeat  such 
resolutions  is  merely  to  strengthen  my  selfish  influences. 

P.  Well  said;  but  you  are,  notwithstanding  your 
morally  helpless  position,  bound  by  the  command  of 
God  to  love  your  neighbor,  and  to  do  unto  others  as 
you  would  that  they  should  properly  do  unto  you. 

I.  I  admit  it ;  but  still  it  could  not  be  made  availing 
with  God. 

P.  Will  you  now  yield  yourself  up  to  God  without 
question,  that  his  sovereign  will  may  control  you  and 
your  destiny? 

/.  {aloud.)  Yes. 

P.  Because  you  desire  and  hope  that  he  may  become 


188  CONVEKSIO.X. 

reconciled  and  favorably  disposed,  whereby  you  may 
escape  his  wrath  and  secure  future  peace  ? 

/.  Yes,  such  was  my  desire  and  object;  I  cannot 
help  it. 

P.  And  evidently  it  was  selfish ;  for  you  sought,  not 
the  authority  and  sovereignty  of  Grod,  but  your  own 
ends  by  means  of  them.  The  expectation  or  view  with 
which  we  do  a  thing,  forms  the  controlling  reason  of  the 
act;  so  that  when  that  fails,  the  act  is  rescinded  of 
course.  Thus,  your  selfish  view  in  this  ostensible  act 
of  submission  having  failed  of  being  accomplished,  the 
resolution  is  revoked  with  it ;  and  you  are  now  no  more 
submissive  to  the  divine  sovereignty  than  before. 

I.  That  is  true.  I  fear  my  offended  judge,  and  can- 
not avoid  such  desires.  But  I  see  it  will  be  impossible 
to  succeed  by  such  means,  and  I  will  attempt  it  no  more. 

P.  It  would  be  in  vain,  were  you  to  persevere  all 
your  days ;  but  God  still  retains,  and  will  insist  upon 
his  sovereign  rights  over  you.  Your  inability,  arising 
from  your  own  voluntary,  free,  and  habitual  selfishness, 
does  not  release  you  from  your  obligations  to  him. 

I.  Kot  at  all.     I  have  myself  only  to  blame. 

P.  Will  you  confide  in  Jesus  Christ  and  his  atone- 
ment ? 

/.  {aloud.)  Most  joyfully. 

P.  No  doubt;  for  it  would  be  a  great  pleasure  to 
secure  the  happiness  you  have  in  view,  by  that  means. 
But  in  the  first  place,  your  confidence  is  selfish  because 
your  own  safety  and  happiness  is  the  ultimate  object 
which  you  desire  to  accomplish  by  him.  And  in  the 
next  place,  were  he  to  aid  you  in  this,  he  would,  as 
we  have  seen,  become  your  accomplice  in  sin. 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  189 

I.  I  am  convinced  that  I  cannot,  in  my  present  state, 
succeed  by  means  of  a  confidence  in  Christ.  I  have 
often  wondered  that  the  most  irreligious  men  should 
express  as  strong  a  hope  in  Christ's  pardoning  mercy 
as  the  most  devoted  Christians.  I  was  once  inex- 
pressibly pained  on  hearing  of  two  naval  officers  who 
had  shot  one  another  in  a  duel,  and  lay  stretched  out 
on  the  field,  express  a  belief,  that  through  the  pardon- 
ing mercy  of  Christ,  they  should  soon  meet  each  other 
in  heaven  I  But  I  could  not,  before,  so  clearly  discern 
the  horribly  depraved  character  of  the  selfish  principle 
that  could  so  unhesitatingly,  audaciously,  and  confi- 
dently, subordinate  Christ  to  its  own  purposes,  and  his 
atonement  to  such  unholiness. 

P.  Making  Christ  a  minister  of  sin,  seems  to  be  the 
current  religion  of  the  unregenerate  portion  of  Christen- 
dom; with  what  ill  success,  eternity  will  painfully 
disclose.  A  consciousness  of  unrepented  sin,  will  almost 
as  effectually,  for  the  time  being,  confound  and  dispel 
the  true  believer's  hope  in  Christ,  as  though  he  had 
never  indulged  one.  But  you  are  aware  that  pardon 
is  fi'cely  tendered  to  us  upon  condition  of  repentance 
for  sin:  Will  you  now,  in  heart  and  in  life,  turn  away 
from  all  sin? 

I.  {aloud.)  Yes,  so  far  as  I  can. 

P.  Under  the  desire  and  hope  of  thereby  securing 
the  pardon  and  your  own  future  happiness? 

I.  Yes ;  it  was  with  such  a  view,  of  course. 

P.  But  that  is  perfectly  selfish,  and  is  not  the  repent- 
ance which  God  requires.  It  does  not  proceed  from  a 
love  to  God  and  his  glory  which  would  make  you 
abhor  iniquity  as  such ;  but  it  is  the  repentance  of  the 


190  CONVERSION. 

world,  which  we  are  told  "worketh  death;"  it  springs 
from  the  desire  to  secure  your  own  ends  by  its  means. 
To  repeat  the  effort  will  be  in  vain,  and  can  only 
increase  your  difficulties. 

I.  I  see  you  are  right.  I  shall  try  to  succeed  by  this 
means  no  more. 

P.  You  could  not  succeed,  if  you  should  try.  Let 
me  here  repeat  a  former  question:  Will  you  hereafter 
live  to  the  promotion  of  the  glory  of  God,  in  the  supreme 
love  of  it? 

/.  {aloud.)  Yes ;  I  should  like  to  do  so,  and  will  en- 
deavor to  glorify  him. 

P.  Because  you  desire  and  hope  to  please  him  and 
secure  your  happiness,  if  it  is  done  in  the  manner  you 
contemplate  ? 

/.  Yes;  such  was  my  wish  and  expectation. 

P.  And  you  remain  as  selfish  in  the  attempt,  as  you 
were  before.  It  was  a  plan  to  secure  your  own  ends  by 
means  of  God  and  his  glory,  you  preferring  those  ends 
as  before.  This  is  living  unto  yourself,  and  not  unto 
God.  After  having  so  often  and  vainly  repeated  this 
experiment,  it  would  seem  that  you  must  be  convinced 
of  its  uselessness. 

/.  I  am;  and  will  attempt  no  more  to  succeed  by 
means  of  it. 

P.  But  still  the  right  of  God  in  that  respect,  remains. 
Will  you  try  to  find  the  right  way  to  serve  the  Lord  ? 

I.  That  is  the  very  thing  I  am  constantly  attempting. 

P.  And  you  are  as  constantly  selfish  in  it,  because 
you  desire  to  find  it  in  order  to  secure  your  selfish 
ends ;  that  is,  as  the  proper  or  feasible  way,  if  that  were 
possible,  to  secure  your  own  future  happiness;  and  such 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  191 

desire  influences  you  in  spite  of  yourself,  you  having  no 
power  by  which  to  expel  or  overcome  it.  If  you  will 
consider  the  point  calmly  and  judiciously,  it  will  be 
evident  that  every  attempt  to  do  any  duty  in  the  right 
way,  as  you  call  it,  can  be  conducive  to  nothing  but 
selfishness.  You  started  originally  to  find  the  sup- 
posed right  way;  your' efforts  retained  you  in  its  bonds; 
and  you  have  ever  since  labored  for  the  same  thing, 
and  are  still  in  its  chains;  and  it  follows  that  every 
future  attempt  must  produce  the  same  result. 

/.  It  looks  strange  that  it  should  be  so;  but  the  fact 
is  too  evident  to  be  doubted.  I  will  try  no  more  to  find 
the  right  way  to  succeed  in  my  desires.  Nothing  but 
some  wrong  way  seems  left  to  me. 

P.  And  a  wrong  way  can  never  enable  you  to  suc- 
ceed. Let  us  test  this  point  further:  Will  you  try  to 
forget  yourself  and  overlook  your  own  happiness,  and 
serve  the  Lord  for  the  sake  of  his  glory? 

L  (aloud.)  Yes ;  I  have  tried  that  repeatedly. 

P.  Under  the  thought  that  it  might  prove  the  right 
way  to  succeed? 

/.  Yes ;  such  was  my  hope,  of  course. 

P.  But  that  was  purely  selfish.  It  was  a  pretended 
effort  to  abandon  selfishness,  as  a  means  and  with  a 
more  ultimate  view  to  secure  your  selfish  ends!  Be- 
sides, you  cannot  forget  and  overlook  your  selfish  hap- 
piness by  trying  to;  for  the  very  effort  retains  it  in 
your  thoughts,  and  makes  it  influence  your  desires 
and  consequent  actions.  You  never  have  succeeded 
in  forgetting  any  thing  or  any  subject,  by  trying  to 
forget  it 

/,  That  is  true.     It  wiU  be  in  vain  to  try  to  forget 


192  CONVERSION. 

myself,  or  to  overlook  my  selfish  object;  and  1  shall  not 
again  attempt  to  succeed  by  it. 

P.  If  you  should  happen  to  forget  yourself  so  far  as 
to  have  no  distinct  thought  of  your  happiness  at  the 
time,  it  would  not  enable  you  to  succeed ;  for,  amongst 
other  reasons,  the  desire  would  remain  and  would  in- 
sensibly influence  all  your  actions,  under  the  force  of 
habit.  Thus,  when  you  have  been  actively  engaged  in 
business,  and  your  attention  has  been  so  engrossed  in 
your  occupations  as  to  have  lost  all  thought  of  yourself, 
you  have  still  been  selfish  in  every  act;  because  your 
desires  controlled  you  by  the  power  of  habit,  and  were 
even  more  unchecked  through  the  abstraction  of  your 
attention  to  those  immediate  occupations. 

/.  I  see  clearly  that,  while  my  motive  influences 
remain  selfish,  to  forget  myself  will  be  of  no  avail. 

P,  Please  to  answer  my  question  quickly,  and  with- 
out any  forethought :  Will  you  take  the  Lord's  side  ? 

I.  {aloud.)  Yes. 

P.  Because  you  wished  to  see  whether  a  rapid  reso- 
lution would  avail  you  in  your  object?  But  you  can 
perceive  that  you  remain  as  selfish  as  before;  and  that 
it  is  of  no  use  to  repeat  the  experiment  of  an  instanta- 
neous, or  unreflecting  resolution. 

I.  I  see  it,  and  will  try  no  more. 

P.  Will  you  endeavor  to  serve  the  Lord  from  a  right 
motive  ? 

I.  {aloud.)  Yes;  if  I  can. 

P.  Because  you  think  that  it  would  certainly  be  the 
proper  way  to  succeed  in  your  wishes,  and  hence  you 
desire  to  have  it? 

/.  I  confess  such  was  my  idea.    How  can  I  help  it, 


OBSTACLES    TO    PBOGRESS.  193 

since  my  selfish  desires  arise  spontaneously,  and  will 
control  my  thoughts  and  actions,  do  what  I  may? 

P.  My  very  object,  at  present,  is  to  prove  that  you 
cannot  help  yourself  in  this  respect.  As  your  present 
effort  after  right  motives  is  selfish,  so  will  every  future 
one  be  in  the  prosecution  of  your  purpose;  for  the  same 
desires  will  necessarily  influence  you.  Why,  then,  try 
to  have  right  motives? 

I.  I  see  that  it  will  be  of  no  use,  I  am  so  perfectly 
selfish;  and  I  will  try  no  more  to  succeed  by  this 
means. 

P.  Should  you  cultivate  your  present  incHnations 
or  disposition,  it  would  be  merely  a  perpetuation  of 
their  selfishness. 

/.  Certainly  it  would ;  and  I  shall  not  attempt  it 

P.  Should  you  try  to  change  them,  or  to  acquire  a 
new  disposition,  it  would  necessarily  be  done  with  a 
view  to  your  own  future  peace  and  safety;  and  every 
such  effort  would  be  selfish  and  vain. 

/.  I  perceive  it  would,  and  shall  not  try.  I  am  com- 
pletely discouraged. 

P.  To  recur  a  moment  to  some  points  which  we 
examined  in  connection  with  the  illustration  respecting 
your  life; — if  you  endeavor  to  give  yourself  to  God 
sincerely^  it  will  be  selfish.  Please  try  once  more  the 
experiment  of  producing  and  acting  from  sincere  feel- 
ings: Will  you  now  give  yourself  to  God  sincerely? 

/.  {aloud.)  Yes. 

P.  And  you  can  perceive  that  your  dedication  was  no 

more  sincere  than  before;   and  that  you  was  selfish  in 

the  experiment,  for  your  object  was  -to  find  the  right 

way  to  accomplish  your  future  safety  and  peace.     Why 

17 


194  CONVKKSION. 

attempt  any  more  to  obtain  such  sincere  feelings,  since 
you  must  be  convinced  it  will  be  in  vain  ? 

I.  I  am  satisfied,  and  shall  make  the-  effort  no  more. 

P.  If  you  try  to  mean  what  you  resolve  upon,  it  will 
be  equally  selfish  and  vain.  Try  the  experiment :  Will 
you  now,  meaningly,  give  yourself  to  Christ? 

/.  {aloud.)  Yes. 

P.  And  you  can  see  that  the  effort  to  mean  it  is  as 
vain  as  that  to  acquire  sincere  feelings ;  and  that  it  is  as 
selfish  also,,  being  a  mere  plan  to  resolve  right  for  your 
own  purposes.  Why,  then,  persevere?  Failure  must 
ever  attend  the  effort. 

/.  I  will  make  no  further  efforts  to  succeed  by  trying 
to  mean  things. 

P.  And  if  you  look  for  evidences  of  your  acceptance 
and  success,  it  will  be  also  selfish  and  without  effect. 
You  might  set  about  creating  some  feelings,  and  might 
hypocritically,  because  deceitfully,  pretend  that  they 
were  the  gift  of  God  to  prosper  your  selfish  and  unholy 
desires ;  but  that,  you  are  too  prudent  and  honest  to  do. 
No  holy  emotions  can  spring  from  such  an  expedient,  as 
you  can  see  by  trying  the  experiment:  Will  you  give 
yourself  now  to  God,  so  as  to  obtain  some  change  or 
evidence  of  acceptance  ? 

I.  {aloud.)  Yes ;  so  far  as  I  am  able. 

P.  Which  is  not  at  all.  You  can  perceive  that  no 
change  has  ensued;  and  there  could  be  none,  because 
the  endeavor  was  selfish,  your  own  safety  being  ulti- 
mately in  view.  Why  endeavor  to  secure  evidences  of 
a  hope,  in  future? 

I.  I  see  it  will  be  to  no  purpose,  and  I  will  try  it  no 
more. 


OBSTACLES    TO    PIlOGBESS.  195. 

P.  Will  you  try  to  act  conscientiously,  and  obey 
Christ? 

/.  (aloud.)  Yes,  I  will. 

P.  Because  you  wish,  by  that  means,  to  take  the 
right  way  to  be  accepted  and  rendered  safe  and  happy 
for  ever? 

/.  Yes ;  such  was  my  desire,  of  course. 

P.  And  by  acting  under  it  you  was  of  course  selfish ; 
and  every  renewed  effort  to  succeed  by  acting  from 
your  conscience  must  be  equally  vain. 

/.  I  perceive  that  it  must,  and  I  shall  repeat  the  effort 
no  more. 

P.  Will  you  act  in  view  of  holy  happiness,  and  serve 
the  Lord?  By  which  is  meant,  that  happiness  which 
flows  from  a  supreme  love  to  the  glory  of  God,  and 
from  a  supreme  desire  for  the  exercise  of  his  Sovereign 
authority  over  his  creatures. 

/.  (aloud.)  Yes. 

P.  Because  you  hope,  if  successful,  to  secure  your 
own  safety  and  happiness  ultimately  ? 

/.  Certainly;  I  desire  to  do  so,  of  course. 

P.  And,  consequently,  you  were  selfish  in  the  effort. 
You  cannot  understand  what  holy  happiness  is  until 
you  experience  it;  and  you  cannot  experience  it  until 
you  love  God  and  his  glory  as  the  ultimate  object  of 
your  choice.  While  you  love  your  own  safety  and  hap- 
piness ultimately,  you  cannot  so  love  God;  and,  con- 
sequently, as  every  effort  is  under  the  promptings  of 
your  superior  love  to  yourself,  holy  happiness  cannot 
be  pursued  for  its  own  sake,  but  solely  and  exclusively 
as  a  means  to  your  own  ends;  which  is  no  pursuit  of 


196  '        CONVERSION. 

it  in  any  sense.  In  your  present  state,  therefore,  holy 
happiness  cannot  be  truly  your  motive  or  object. 

/.  I  see  it  perfectly.  It  is  clear  that  the  desires  of 
the  unconverted  heart  can  take  no  gratification  in  the 
objects  of  one  that  is  converted,  and  of  course  can  never 
terminate  on  holy  happiness;  and  that  any  appearance 
of  it  must  be  deceptive.  It  will,  in  my  present  state, 
be  vain  and  delusive  to  endeavor  to  act  in  view  of  it, 
and  I  shall  do  so  no  more. 

P.  If  you  seek  to  obtain  present  relief  by  means  of 
serving  Christ,  it  will  be  selfish ;  for  you  will  desire  the 
relief  for  your  own  benefit  now  and  ultimately. 

/.  Certainly;  and  I  see  it  will  be  in  vain  to  try  it. 

P.  It  is  your  duty  to  search  the  Scriptures  (John  5 : 
89),  and  to  pray,  "lifting  up  holy  hands"  (1  Tim.  2:8); 
and  from  these  duties  God  will  not  release  you.  But 
you  are  well  aware  that  the  Bible  is  always  perused  by 
you  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  information  how  to 
accomplish  your  own  safety  and  happiness;  and  that 
your  prayers  are  all  for  pardon  and  for  things  which 
you  deem  essential  to  your  present  and  eternal  interests. 
Consequently,  you  are  not  heard  by  God ;  for  "  he  that 
turneth  away  his  ear  from  hearing  the  law,  even  his 
prayer  shall  be  abomination." — Prov.  28 : 9.  The  reason, 
as  given  by  James,  is  because  such  wish  to  use  the  things 
desired  upon  their  own  pleasure,  rather  than  to  promote 
the  glory  of  God. — Jas.  4:8.  And  hence,  all  the  prom- 
ises to  hear  and  ansv/er  prayer  are  directed  to  believers 
exclusively,  who  alone  will  use  the  gifts  for  the  divine 
glory.  In  this  view,  as  well  as  from  your  uniform  expe- 
rience of  their  unacceptableness  to  God,  you  can  place  no 
reliance  upon  these  duties  for  success  in  your  projects. 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  197 

/.  None  whatever. 

P.  Should  you  endeavor  to  exercise  sorrow  for  sin, 
love  to  God,  love  to  Christians,  or  any  other  feelings 
of  the  regenerate  heart,  they  would  be  excited  merely 
by  a  view  of  your  danger,  or  of  favors  received  or  de- 
sired, or  of  the  friendly  dispositions  of  Christians,  or 
of  those  other  personal  causes  I  have  before  fully  de- 
scribed. They  would  be  the  unholy  emotions  of  the 
selfish  heart,  called  out  fojr  its  own  purposes;  and  would 
partake  of  the  moral  character  which  belongs  to  their 
source. 

/.  It  will  be  in  vain  to  resort  to  such  means. 

P.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  should  try  the  experi- 
ment of  abstaining  from  the  cultivation  of  any  feelings, 
and  of  refraining  from  all  efforts  to  change  or  banish 
your  desires,  and  of  ceasing  to  seek  after  right  motives 
and  objects,  and  of  trying  to  discover  the  right  way  to 
succeed — none  of  these  plans  would  aid  your  purpose, 
for  each  would  be  purely  selfish.  Such  abstinence  would 
itself  form  a  negative  kind  of  means,  by  the  observance 
of  which  you  would  hope  to  gratify  your  selfish  desires 
for  your  own  ends  ultimately. 

I.  I  perceive  it  would  be  selfish,  and  of  no  avail. 
But  we  are  commanded  (Jer.  29 :  13)  to  seek  the  Lord; 
and  we  are  told  that  we  shaU  find  him,  "when  we  shall 
search  for  him  with  all  our  heart." 

P.  True ;  but  you  are  seeking  not  him^  but  yourself ; 
you  are  not  searching  for  him  with  a  holy  hearty  but 
you  are  searching  after  your  own  future  safety  and 
pleasure  by  means  of  him  and  his  ordinances,  with  all 
your  selfish  heart.  You  have  perverted  both  the  com- 
mand and  the  promise.  To  seek  for  God  implies  the 
17* 


198  OONVERSION. 

possession  of  a  new  heart;  for  the  old  one  always  pursues 
its  own  ends.  Like  Israel  of  old,  "you  return,  but  not 
to  the  Most  High." — Hos.  7 :  16.  There  are  various 
other  passages  which  are  to  be  correctly  explained  on 
the  same  principle;  for,  as  pardon  is  offered  the  sinner 
only  upon  true  repentance,  so  these  present  encourage- 
ment solely  upon  the  condition  of  his  truly  seeking 
God  with  a  right  heart.  An  example  may  be  found  in 
Heb.  11 :  6:  "He  that  comet Ji  to  Ood  [not  to  his  own 
safety  and  peace  ultimately  by  means  of  him,  as  you 
are  now  doing]  must  believe  that  he  is,  and  he  is  a 
rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  Am,"  seek  his 
honor  and  glory  as  the  object  of  their  supreme  love. 
He  cannot,  in  any  sense,  become  the  rewarder  of  those 
who  seek  themselves;  and  their  believing  that  he  will 
reward  their  diligence  in  it,  under  the  mistake  that  they 
are  seeking  God,  will  not  only  be  an  insult  to  him,  but 
will  retain  them  in  selfishness,  and  bring  a  deserved 
punishment  on  their  own  heads. 

/.  I  see  my  error.  I  have  heretofore  regarded  dili- 
gent seeking  as  the  chief  thing,  and  have  bestowed  no 
thought  upon  the  ultimate  object  which  I  have  pur- 
sued or  its  moral  character.  Selfishness  had  so  blinded 
my  eyes  to  the  truth,  that  I  doubt  whether  I  should  have 
detected  this  fatal  delusion,  but  for  your  explanations. 
And  yet,  although  I  am  now  more  enlightened,  when  I 
attempt  to  go  to  God  rather  than  to  subserve  my  own 
ends,  I  find  that  every  effort  remains  selfish  and  im- 
practicable. 

P.  Suppose  you  try  to  go  to  God  partly  from  a 
desire  to  secure  your  own  pardon  and  peace,  and  partly 
from  a  desire  to  glorify  him? 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  199 

J.  I  have  tried  that,  in  order  to  have  something  to 
catch  hold  upon. 

P.  But  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  succeed  by  such  an 
expedient.  It  will  prove  a  mere  repetition  of  your 
original  effort  to  serve  God  from  a  desire  to  secure  your 
own  happiness,  and  from  a  desire  to  glorify  him  as  the 
proper  way  to  succeed  in  that  object.  All  your  desires 
are  for  yourself  and  your  own  interests ;  and  you  cannot 
at  your  mere  will  originate  any  for  God  and  his  glory. 
On  regeneration,  the  heart  spontaneously  puts  forth  holy 
desires  for  God.  They  are  supreme,  and  often  exist 
independent  of  any  active  desires  for  self;  while  the 
latter,  when  excited,  will  fix  upon  his  glory  as  their 
chief  good.  Hence  the  two  may,  and  do,  exist  together 
in  perfect  moral  harmony;  but  obviously  it  cannot  be 
so  where,  as  at  present,  the  desires  exist  as  a  preference 
for  yourself 

/.  I  perceive  that  you  are  right;  and  I  shall  be  care- 
ful not  to  be  deceived  again  by  such  an  expedient. 

P.  Suppose  that,  in  your  present  state  of  heart,  you 
should  take  the  course  adopted  by  many,  and  resort 
to  the  revealed  means  of  grace  in  order  to  succeed  in 
your  purpose.  Suppose  you  should  endeavor  to  culti- 
vate all  the  right  feelings  possible,  and  form  all  the 
apparently  requisite  purposes ;  and  after  a  season  should 
receive  baptism,  unless  you  have  been  baptized  before, 
should  unite  with  the  church  of  Christ,  partake  of  the 
communion,  and  observe  all  known  duties  with  a 
peculiar  strictness;  so  that  your  own  hopes  of  safety 
and  peace  should  be  strong,  your  enjoyments  great,  and 
your  reputation  for  piety  unsurpassed.  The  predisposi- 
tion to  your  own  happiness  ultimately  would  underlie 


200  CONVERSION. 

the  whole,  and  would  make  you  selfish  in  every  par- 
ticular. The  false  charity  of  those  believers  who  Chris- 
tianize every  fellow-professor  whose  exterior  conduct  is 
correct,  and  whose  intellectual  belief  is  orthodox,  could 
not  relieve  you  from  the  censure  of  him  who  looks  at 
the  heart.  "The  sacrifice  [and  by  implication,  all  the 
religious  services]  of  the  wicked  is  abomination;  how 
much  more  when  he  bringeth  it  with  a  wicked  mrndP — 
Prov.  21 :  27.  And  perseverance  would  only  strengthen 
the  bonds  of  selfishness ;  for,  as  the  whole  process  would 
be  in  pursuance  of  such  original  selfish  predisposition, 
it  would  tend  to  cultivate  and  perpetuate  it.  Those 
means  of  grace  are,  as  the  term  clearly  im23orts,  designed 
to  aid  the  heart  already  regenerated,  in  its  progress  in 
holiness  and  in  glorifying  God. 

/.  In  my  extremity,  I  have  often  contemplated  pre- 
cisely that  course,  but  I  see  that  it  would  have  been  of 
no  avail;  and  if  I  had  entered  upon  it,  a  new  heart 
would  have  been  just  as  necessary,  and  perhaps  more 
difficult  of  attainment.  I  can  now  readily  understand 
how  baptized  selfishness  should  become  the  monster- 
parent  of  spiritual  pride,  exclusiveness,  intolerance,  and 
worldliness;  "having  the  form  of  Godliness,  but  denying 
the  power  thereof,"  because  destitute  of  the  new  heart 
which  gives  to  a  profession  all  its  vitality. 

P.  And  you,  together  with  the  unconverted  reader, 
have  doubtless  commenced  this  conversation,  or  are 
perusing  this  book,  with  the  same  predisposition  to  your 
own  ultimate  safety  and  happiness,  and  to  discover,  by 
means  of  its  instructions,  how  to  succeed  in  it.  As  a 
consequence,  every  resolution  you  form,  and  every  step 
you  may  hereafter  take  under  it,  will  be  selfish. 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  201 

/.  I  perceive  it  must  be  so  of  course ;  for,  as  my  self- 
ish desires  prompt  me  in  every  thing  else,  they  will  in 
this.     What  is  to  be  done  ? 

P.  Persevere  in  acquiring  information,  and  in  aban- 
doning every  useless  expedient;  or  you  may  be  for 
ever  lost.  "  Take  fast  hold  of  instruction ;  let  her  not 
go ;  keep  her,  for  she  is  thy  life." — Prov.  4 :  13.  To 
relapse  into  inattention,  will  be  to  grieve  the  Spirit  of 
truth.     To  go  on,  is  the  path  of  wisdom  and  duty. 

1.  Of  course  I  shall  steadily  attend  to  and  follow  your 
advice;  I  am  determined  to  act  upon  it,  whether  it 
makes  against  me  or  not,  for  that  cannot  affect  its  truth 
or  propriety. 

P.  Honestly  said.  Can  you  devise  any  other  means 
of  succeeding? 

L  I  do  not  think  of  any,  at  present. 

P.  Were  it  possible  to  devise  a  multitude,  you  would 
be  selfish  in  entering  upon  every  one  of  them,  for  your 
selfish  desires  must  influence  you  of  course.  Could  you 
now  stand  with  angels  in  the  immediate  presence  of 
God,  your  very  first  effort  would  be  to  propitiate  him 
in  order  to  bring  him  over  to  your  wishes,  lest  he  should 
visit  you  with  deserved  punishment. 

/.  Such  is,  even  now,  the  spontaneous  impulse  of  my 
heart.  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  that,  whatever  the  means, 
I  should,  at  the  present  time,  be  selfish  in  the  use  of 
them.  Even  my  reliance  upon  the  prayers  of  others  is 
a  selfish  end ;  and  it  can  therefore  do  me  no  good. 

P.  We  have  now  tested  your  ability  in  every  vari- 
ety of  form;  and  the  result  is  clear  that  in  your  own 
strength  you  can  accomplish  nothing  whatever  to  secure 
your  own  safety  and  happiness.     The  love  of  your  own 


202  CONVERSION. 

welfare  has  acquired  sucli  an  habitual  predominancy,  it 
has  so  enslaved  you  to  its  own  purposes,  that  you  have 
lost  every  recuperative  power;  and  this  must  continue 
irrecoverable  while  you  are  under  its  domination. 

/.  I  perceive  that  I  cannot  at  present  help  myself; 
and  I  have  myself  only  to  blame.  Had  I  began  earlier 
to  seek  the  Lord,  it  might  have  been  better  for  me ;  but, 
alas!  regrets  are  unavailing  to  retrieve  the  evils  of  the 
past.  Could  I  extricate  myself,  nothing  should  hinder ; 
no  worldly  sacrifice  or  temporal  injury  that  could  possi- 
bly be  endured  should  prevent  my  escape. 

P.  The  vanities  of  the  world  can  have  no  weight 
under  such  circumstances.  But  truth  requires  me  to 
state  that  you  are  not  only  incompetent  to  succeed  at 
'present^  but  that  you  can  never  succeed  hereafter  by  your 
own  unassisted  efforts.  The  reason  is,  that  every  effort, 
even  to  the  moment  of  your  death,  will  be  prompted 
by  the  same  selfish  desires,  and  must,  consequently,  be 
equally  as  selfish  as  all  that  have  preceded.  Instead  of 
releasing,  every  repetition  will  only  confirm  you  in  self- 
ish action  by  the  power  of  a  more  determined  habit; 
just  as  one  who  has  lost  his  balance,  and  with  it  his 
self-recovering  power,  while  rapidly  descendiDg  a  steep 
declivity,  must,  as  he  proceeds,  be  inevitably  precipi- 
tated to  the  bottom.  If  you  should  recommence  your 
efforts  noiv^  they  would  be  selfish;  if  you  should  per- 
severe in  them  all  the  day,  they  would  continue  to  be 
selfish,  as  your  experience  has  fully  proved ;  and  if  you 
should  persist  day  after  day  as  long  as  you  had  life, 
they  would  increase  in  selfishness,  with  no  door  of 
escape.     What  have  you  to  urge  against  this  fact? 

L  Nothing.    I  can  foresee  that  as  every  successive  act 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  203 

must  partake  of  the  character  of  the  preceding  desire, 
and  as  such  desire  cannot  be  changed,  all  mj  efforts 
must  be  selfish.  Truly,  of  myself  I  can  do  nothing 
now  or  hereafter  to  make  myself  good,  so  as  to  succeed. 
My  hope  is  solely  in  the  mercy  and  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

P.  None  but  one  entirely  desperate  could  hope,  under 
such  appalling  prospects,  to  succeed  hereafter  by  his 
own  unassisted  strength. 

/.  I  do  not  expect  to,  of  myself.  I  had  hoped  to  be 
able,  by  reading,  meditation,  prayer  and  other  means, 
to  produce  a  gradual  change  for  the  better  in  my  feel- 
ings. I  have  supposed  that  a  correction  of  my  views 
by  a  proper  enlightenment  in  the  Scriptural  doctrines 
and  duties,  might  result  in  a  change  of  heart. 

P.  That  is  far  from  a  necessary  result.  Satan  and 
his  angels  have  the  most  enlightened  views  of  truth,  and 
a  perfect  intellectual  -  faith  in  it ;  while  their  hearts 
remain  unchanged,  and  are  becoming  more  perverse, 
more  hardened,  and  more  profoundly  diabolical.  It 
would  seem  that  your  own  experience  for  so  many  years, 
would  be  enough  to  destroy  such  expectations ;  for  your 
views  of  truth  are  much  clearer  now  than  when  you  was 
first  under  conviction  of  sin,  and  your  devotion  to  the 
use  of  means  has  been  very  decided,  at  intervals,  for  a 
course  of  years,  and  yet  you  have  not  acquired  a  holy 
heart.  On  the  contrary,  your  anxieties  are  more  pro- 
foundly selfish  than  before,  and  your  feelings  have  been 
kept  alive  only  to  your  own  welfare,  and  to  the  persons 
and  things  which  you  judged  might  promote  it ;  and  as 
respects  any  love  to  the  holiness,  justice,  and  glory  of 
God,  your  heart  has  every  hour  grown  more  hardened, 


204  CONVERSION. 

until  it  has  become  as  insensible  as  a  nether  mill-stone 
to  such  affections. 

I.  This  is  all  too  true. 

P.  Were  there  no  other  reasons  for  the  continued 
unholiness  of  Satan  and  his  angels,  the  principle  we 
have  before  examined — namely,  their  being  under  actual 
punishment  at  the  hands  of  God — will  ever  keep  alive 
their  selfishness,  by  a  kind  of  instinctive  desire  for  their 
own  relief;  this  will  necessarily  remain  predominant, 
will  exclude  love  to  their  punisher,  and  will  increase  the 
intensity  of  their  opposition  and  malignity  evermore. 
You,  thank  God,  are  not  under  actual  punishment;  and 
the  mere  contemplation  of  it  as  future  and  deserved, 
does  not  necessarily  hinder  your  loving  God,  since  there 
is  no  present  infliction  to  call  forth  uncontrollably  your 
propensity  to  happiness.  But  in  place  of  this,  selfish 
habit  has  conquered  and  holds  you  in  its  chains  by  the 
aid  of  the  governing  predisposition  to  your  own  wel- 
fare; so  that  your  change  of  intellectual  views  proves  of 
no  avail.  One  who  is  predisposed  to  the  acquisition  of 
wealth,  cannot  be  moved  by  any  motives  which  tend  to 
reduce  him  to  voluntary  poverty,  however  enlightened 
he  may  become  (Matt.  19  :  22) ;  but  he  might  be  induced 
to  accept  of  poverty,  under  the  influence  of  motives 
to  wealth,  if  he  judged  that  such  poverty  would  finally 
conduce  to  wealth.  In  like  manner,  as  you  are  so 
predisposed  to  your  own  selfish  happiness,  your  heart 
is  insensible  to  those  motives  which  tend  to  a  stronger 
predisposition  for  the  glory  of  God;  but,  if  you  judged 
that  your  own  happiness  might  be  finally  secured  by 
such  a  disposition,  that  consideration  might  incline,  as 
indeed  it  has  always  induced  you  to  strive  for  it;  but 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  205 

the  attainment  of  it  has  eluded  your  efforts,  and  you 
have  found  a  counterfeit  instead.  And  thus,  under  such 
habits,  it  must  always  be.  Cultivate  your  views  and 
opinions  as  you  may,  your  selfish  heart  will  always 
pervert  them,  and  will  lead  you  to  embrace  a  counter- 
feit Christianity ;  which,  however  pleasant  here,  will  end 
in  disappointment  hereafter.  "Except  a  man  be  born 
again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God." — John  3 :  3. 

/.  What  a  profound  necessity  there  exists  for  that 
apparently  arbitrary  requirement! 

I.  At  the  hour  of  death  the  same  influences  will  exist, 
though  in  a  far  more  powerful  degree,  if  that  were  pos- 
sible, caused  by  the  perceived  near  approach  of  the 
judgment  and  perdition.  As  you  cannot  succeed  by 
any  intermediate  expedients,  so  you  cannot  prevail  then ; 
and  the  result  is,  that  so  far  as  respects  your  happiness, 
you  can  be  no  better  prepared  to  die  then,  than  you 
are  this  moment. 

/.  Yes;  I  can  do  nothing  then  which  I  cannot  effect 
now;  and  I  see  that  I  cannot,  do  what  I  will  in  the 
mean  time,  become  so  prepared  to  die.  Alas!  I  have 
fondly  imagined  that  it  would  be  an  easy  thing  to  offer 
up  the  prayer  of  the  penitent  publican  and  so  get  ready 
for  the  summons,  when  death  should  come  upon  me. 
But  here  again  my  deceitful  inclinations  have  perverted 
my  judgment  and  instilled  groundless  hopes. 

P.  Of  yourself,  therefore,  you  can  do  nothing  now  or 
hereafter  to  prepare  for  death,  so  as  to  secure  the  hap- 
piness you  so  ardently  desire. 

/,  I  see  it  perfectly.  It  is  of  no  use  to  expect  it,  and 
I  shall  try  no  more. 

P.  But  beware  of  the  whisperings  of  Satan,  which 
18 


206  CONVERSION. 

would  tempt  you  to  retreat  and  so  involve  yourself  in 
the  protracted  misery  of  that  "certain  fearful  looking 
for  of  judgment,  and  fiery  indignation  which  shall 
devour  the  adversaries."  He  is  your  greatest  enemy, 
and  his  suggestions,  if  followed,  will  inevitably  lead  to 
ruin.  "Resist  the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  you." 
Like  the  starving  lepers  at  the  gate  of  Jerusalem,  if  you 
remain  where  you  are,  you  must  die ;  if  you  falter  or  go 
back,  you  must  surely  die;  the  only  course  left  is  to 
go  forward.  "If  the  Syrians  save  us  alive,"  said  they, 
"we  shall  live ;   and  if  they  kill  us,  we  shall  but  die." 

/.  Having  put  my  hand  to  the  plough,  God  being  ray 
helper  I  shall  go  forward.  While  retaining  my  senses, 
I  cannot  deliberately  turn  against  the  truth  unto  perdi- 
tion.    Will  you  please  proceed? 

P.  A  moment's  reflection  will  convince  you  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  ought  not  to  do  that  which  both  the  Father 
and  Christ  refuse — namely,  to  become  an  accomplice  in 
your  wickedness;  and  that  he  ought  not  to  counteract 
their  known  purposes. 

/.  I  am  not  so  foolish  or  wicked  as  to  expect  he  will. 

P.  And  yet  you  seem  to  have  overlooked  the  fact 
that  he  would  do  both,  should  he  gratify  your  wishes. 
The  pursuit  of  your  own  happiness,  as  we  have  fre- 
quently seen,  is  the  cause  of  all  your  sins  of  heart  and 
of  life.  Should  the  Spirit  in  any  way  whatever  aid  you 
in  securing  this,  should  he  operate  upon  you,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  or  assist  you  in  the  use  of  any 
motives  or  means,  so  as  to  enable  you  to  succeed,  he 
would  make  you  the  conqueror  in  this  strife  with  God, 
and  w^ould  cause  the  divine  glory  to  give  way  to  your 
selfish  interests.      He  would  irretrievably  debase   and 


OBSTACLES    TO    PKOGBESS.  207 

ruin  himself  for  your  sake !  I  ask,  whether,  as  a  rea- 
sonable being,  you  can  longer  hope  for  assistance  in 
your  plans  from  the  perfectly  pure,  living  Spirit  ? 

/.  No.  I  have  not  before  taken  this  matter-of-fact 
view,  and  am  ashamed  of  the  insult  of  looking  for  his 
aid  in  such  purposes.     Still  I  can  get  no  other. 

P.  My  friend,  truth  impels  me  to  declare  further,  that 
were  there  any  possible  means  left  by  which  you  might 
succeed,  the  Holy  Spirit  would  himself  block  up  your 
path  I  He  will  never  use  either  holy  or  unholy  means, 
nor  will  he  suffer  you  to  use  them  successfully,  to  pro- 
mote your  purposes.     How  can  you  hope  for  his  aid  ? 

/.  I  neither  deserve  nor  expect  it.  I  have  been 
confiding  somewhat  in  your  aid  also ;  but  I  see  that  no 
instructor  can  truly  guide  me  where  there  is  no  path, 
and  where,  if  there  was,  God  himself  would  righteously 
interpose  and  prevent  me.  I  have  done  with  that  trust, 
for  "vain  is  the  help  of  man." 

P.  Keview  your  actual  position.  As  regards  secur- 
ing your  future  happiness,  you  are  utterly  helpless  in 
respect  to  any  thing  you  can  do  now  or  hereafter;  for 
you  jnove  in  a  circle,  as  it  were,  and  invariably  return 
to  the  starting-point  of  self;  and  you  cannot  break  loose 
from  it  so  as  to  succeed,  for  you  have  no  self  recovering 
power.  However  it  may  be  with  others,  your  own  con- 
sciousness declares  that  ygu  have  begun  the  work  of 
heart-reform  too  late,  if  your  purposes  could  ever  be 
accomplished.  You  can  have  no  valid  dependence,  as 
we  have  seen,  on  the  prayers  of  Christians;  they  can 
never  aid  your  projects.  And  God  will  not  help  you; 
but  he,  an  unconquerable  enemy,  has  set  himself  against 
you.     "The  wicked  is  snared  in  the  work  of  his  own 


208  CONVEESION. 

hands"  {Fs.  9:16)]  and  an  incensed  sovereign  holds 
your  chains.  If  you  will  take  a  restrospect  of  your 
life,  and  note  the  profound  unholiness  of  your  heart, 
the  repeated  violations  of  the  laws  of  God  which  it 
has  produced,  and  your  unsuspended  attempts  to  turn 
him  to  your  own  purposes,  you  must  become  sensible 
that  he  is  right  in  his  disapprobation  and  abhorrence 
of  you;  and,  under  such  convictions,  you  will  justify 
his  purposes  of  vengeance,  however  reluctant  you  may 
be  to  become  the  subject  of  it.  "In  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  there  is  a  cup,  and  the  wine  is  red;  but  the  dregs 
thereof,  all  the  wicked  of  the  earth  shall  wring  them  out 
and  drink  them."~Ps.  75 :  8. 

/.  I  am  entirely  convinced  on  these  points. 

P.  You  have,  substantially,  been  endeavoring  to  exer- 
cise the  pardoning  power,  and  have  signally  failed.  God 
reigns;  and  he  has- declared  that  "he  will  have  mercy 
on  whom  he  [not  the  creature]  will  have  mercy,  and 
whom  he  will  he  hardeneth." — Eom.  9 :  18.  It  is  as 
necessary  for  him  to  punish  the  incorrigible  sinner  as  it 
is  to  sustain  his  authority  and  government,  and  for  the 
same  reasons.  Hear  what  he  declares  respecting  your 
selfish  desires  and  hopes:  "The  expectation  of  the 
wicked  shall  perish." — Prov.  10 :  28.  Hear  what  he 
affirms  respecting  your  expedients  and  efforts:  "The 
eyes  of  the  wicked  shall  fail,  [fail  to  discover  the  means 
of  safety,]  and  they  shall  not  escape  [their  doom] ;  and 
their  hope  shall  be  [shall  expire]  as  the  giving  up  of 
the  ghost."— Job  11 :  20. 

/.  I  have  always  had  a  presentiment  of  being  des- 
tined to  perdiliQn;  and  it  is  now  verified.  Once,  after 
wandering  for  hours   in   a  forest,  I  sat   down   bewil- 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  209 

dered,  thinking,  "  now  I  feel  lost;"  and  I  now  feel  the 
same. 

P.  As  respects  your  own  happiness,  you  are  so  in- 
deed; and  as  there  is  none  other  which  you  can  enjoy, 
you  are  doubly  lost.  Indeed,  the  eternal  happiness  you 
have  been  pursuing  exists  only  in  your  own  fancy; 
it  is  an  ideal  ignis-fatuus^  which  has  beguiled  you  into 
the  morasses  of  sin  and  error.  In  eternity,  nothing  has 
been  provided  by  a  wise  and  holy  Creator,  adapted  to 
gratify  your  selfish  desires;  and  hence  you  could  never 
find  your  happiness  there.  On  the  contrary,  every  thing 
there,  whether  in  heaven  or  in  hell,  is  adapted  to  disap- 
point them — in  heaven,  the  blazing  holiness  and  dread 
majesty  of  God,  and  in  hell  unbridled  selfishness — so  that 
nothing  but  misery  can  result  to  you.  Thus  has  God 
made  provision  for  the  penalty  of  the  law;  which  is, 
substantially,  the  everlasting  wounding  of  the  sinner's 
selfish  desires,  and  the  destruction  of  his  selfish  hap- 
piness. It  must  sink  into  that  grave  where  is  darkness 
for  ever! 

I.  At  last,  I  perceive  the  truth  of  all  I  feared  I  There 
is  no  happiness  in  eternity  for  me,  a  wretched  sinner! 

P.  How  useless,  then,  have  been  your  endeavors  to 
secure  it?  And  how  exceedingly  absurd  will  be  any 
future  devices? 

L  I  shall  make  no  more.  I  am  like  one  walled  up 
above  and  around,  unable  to  move  any  way;  and 
having  already  lost  every  thing  I  pursued,  I  can  afford 
to  risk  all  things  by  ceasing  my  struggles.  I  have 
abundance  of  feeling  now;  but,  alas!  of  what  avail  can 
it  be,  since  it  is  all  selfish? 
18* 


210  CONVERSION. 


Pastor.  Let  us  now  return  for  a  few  moments  to  the 
establishment  of  the  points  for  which  we  have  used  the 
illustration  respecting  the  right  of  God  to  recall  your 
life  at  his  holy  pleasure.  I  beg,  my  friend,  that  you 
will  not,  under  any  anxiety  which  you  may  now  experi- 
ence, turn  to  any  succeeding  chapter  before  we  have 
finished  with  that  illustration.  If  you,  incautiously, 
should  do  so,  it  will  do  you  no  good,  but  an  injury; 
your  mind  will  become  confused ;  you  will  be  unable  to 
understand,  in  their  true  bearing,  the  things  hereafter 
presented;  and  you  may  hereafter  bitterly  curse  that 
unbridled  selfishness  which  led  you  to  disregard  my 
friendly  caution.  But  if  you  will  take  your  ground 
decidedly  on  that  illustration  in  the  first  instance,  this 
confusion  will  be  avoided. 

Inquirer.  I  shall  curb  my  anxiety,  and  observe  your 
advice.  I  feel  utterly  incompetent  to  move  a  step,  or 
mark  out  any  course ;  and  shall  incur  no  worse  hazards 
by  following  my  deceitful,  heart.  Wherever  you  lead, 
I  will  follow. 

P.  The  proposition  was,  that  you,  or  any  other  per- 
son, could  determine  to  da,  or  not  to  do  some  act, 
where  love  was  not  excited,  and  where  there  was 
nothing  to  hope  or  fear.  In  proof,  we  took  the  illus- 
tration that  God,  having  given  you  life,  had  a  right  to 
recall  it  at  his  will,  and  that  he  should  not  be  opposed 
by  you  therein.  We  saw  that,  in  resolving  not  to 
oppose  him  in  recalling  life,  you  could  not  act  with 
love;  that  you  could  not  become  prepared  to  die;  that 
you  could  derive  from  it  no  worldly  benefit ;  that  you 
could  not  so  escape  sin,  or  do  any  other  act,  as  to  please 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  211 

God ;  and  that  there  was,  consequently,  nothing  to  hope 
for.  We  also  saw  that  it  would  not*  offend  God  any 
the  more;  that  you  are  already  so  completely  within 
his  power,  that  your  life  would  be  in  no  greater  danger, 
but  that  you  would  live  as  long  as  in  any  other  case ; 
that  you  would  be  punished  none  the  sooner ;  and  that, 
consequently,  there  was  nothing  to  fear  on  forming  that 
resolution.  But  you  still  expected  to  derive  from  it 
some  knowledge  how  to  succeed;  and  hence  you  did 
not  clearly  apprehend  the  very  plain  idea  which  I  had 
presented  for  examination.  Of  course  you  cannot  now 
indulge  any  such  expectation ;  for  if  it  is  impossible  to 
succeed  by  avowedly  religious  means,  or  indeed  at  all, 
surely  that  moral  illustration  cannot  inform  you. 

/.  I  do  not  expect  to  learn  by  it  how  to  succeed  here- 
after, and  shall  not  try.  I  am  already  somewhat  con- 
fused, and  can  see  no  use  in  returning  to  that  illustration. 

P.  You  are  confased,  not  in  respect  to  your  helpless 
position,  but  how  to  make  progress  in  your  plans  and 
purposes;  a  confusion  for  which  there  is  no  remedy. 
You  must  permit  me  to  judge  of  the  further  degree  of 
light  which  you  can  derive  respecting  your  selfish  state 
by  means  of  this  illustration. 

/.  I  yield  to  your  judgment,  and  will  reexamine  it 
with  you. 

P.  I  shall  propose  my  questions  anew  for  your  audible 
answers ;  and  I  do  hope  that  we  shall  not  be  delayed  by 
any  further  plans  or  expedients  to  resolve  in  some  right 
way,  since  there  is  no  right  way  for  your  purposes. 

/.  It  is  indifferent  to  me  how  I  resolve;  as  I  shall 
neither  gain  nor  lose  by  it,  I  may  as  well  resolve  wrong 
as  right. 


212  CONVERSION. 

P.  Let  us  test  that  fact  again.  God  has  a  right  to 
recall  your  life,  and  you  ought  not  to  oppose  him: 
Will  you  oppose  him  in  it? 

L  (aloud.)  No. 

P.  And  you  have  gained  or  lost  nothing,  and  have 
no  more  love  than  before.  But  did  you  not  cast  about 
in  your  mind  to  find  the  proper  way  to  resolve? 

I.  I  confess  I  did  unconsciously ;  but  I  will  do  so  no 
more.  Whether  I  resolve  right  or  wrong,  I  will  not 
oppose  God,  so  far  as  my  mind  is  concerned,  and  so  far 
as  I  can  execute  the  determination. 

P,  Will  you  oppose  him  in  recalling  your  life  ? 

I.  (aloud.)  No. 

P.  Did  you  make  any  efforts  to  be  sincere  in  this 
resolution,  or  to  mean  it,  or  to  feel  it,  or  to  get  an  evi- 
dence, or  to  do  it  in  any  other  supposed  right  way? 

/.  I  did  not.  It  would  have  been  too  absurd  with 
the  light  I  now  possess  on  the  subject. 

P,  But  it  has  done  you  no  good  to  abandon  these 
experiments,  however  sensible  it  is  to  do  so;  for  your 
purpose  cannot  be  accomplished  in  any  way,  as  you 
well  know.  But  did  not  the  thought  that  you  could 
not  prevent  God  from  taking  your  life,  recur  to  your 
mind,  and  lead  you  to  acquiesce  to  my  proposition  not 
to  oppose  him? 

/.  I  confess  it  did. 

P.  So  far  as  respects  your  plans  and  prospects  of 
success,  it  is  perfectly  immaterial  what  your  motives 
are,  or  whether  you  have  any;  for  could  you  even  secure 
holy  motives,  (which  you  cannot,)  God  would  not  confer 
your  happiness'  on  you ;  so  that,  I  trust,  you  will  seek 
no  longer  after  motives.     But  in  order  to  understand 


OBSTACLES  TO  PROGRESS.        213 

the  point  we  have  immediately  in  view,  you  must  take 
some  affirmative  action,  as  I  said  when  on  this  subject 
before.  We  then  saw  that  the  idea  that  you  could  not 
prevent  him  was  an  immoral  consideration. 

1.  Yes;  and  an  uselessly  immoral  one. 

P.  Then  lay  it  aside,  as  you  woidd  dismiss  any  other 
objectionable  thing.  If  you  had  made  up  your  mind  to 
go  to  a  certain  place  with  a  view  to  purchase  some  goods, 
and  also  to  have  a  quarrel  with  another,  you  could 
readily  abandon  the  idea  of  the  quarrel  on  being  con- 
vinced of  its  impropriety,  and  could  go  there  exclu- 
sively for  the  reason  of  making  the  purchase.  This 
very  ordinary  course  of  action  would  not  involve  a 
change  of  heart.  In  like  manner  you  can  dismiss  the 
idea  of  not  resisting  God  because  you  cannot  prevent 
his  recalling  your  life,  on  becoming  convinced  of  its 
immorality;  but  it  will  involve  no  change  or  other 
personal  benefit. 

I.  I  see  that  it  can  be  dismissed  if  I  will. 

P.  I  take  it  for  granted  that  there  is  no  one  in  the 
circle  of  your  acquaintance  whom  you  would  wilfully 
wrong;  and  that,  if  you  had  injured  any,  it  would  be  a 
satisfaction  to  redress  it  at  once.  And,  surely,  you 
should  not  needlessly  wrong  God,  even  in  principle. 

/.  Certainly  not. 

P.  Suppose  some  venerable  friend  should  present  you 
with  an  immense  fortune,  requesting  only,  in  return, 
that  you  should  treat  him  right ;  your  satisfaction  would 
be  great,  and  your  gratitude  might  know  no  bounds  for 
a  season.  Suppose,  further,  that  one  should  suggest  to 
you  the  plan  of  making  more  money  by  defrauding  and 
injuring  this  friend ;    and  you  should  decline,  because 


214  CONVERSION. 

you  doubted  your  ability  to  defraud  him !  How  shame- 
ful would  be  such  a  reason !  You  would  despise  your- 
self for  harboring  the  thought!  Indeed,  you  would 
never  entertain  the  idea,  but  would  despise  the  tempter, 
and  refuse  to  wrong  that  friend,  even  though  you  had 
the  power  to  do  it. 

/.  I  should  not  hesitate  a  moment. 

P,  And  God  has  kindly  given  you  life  and  preserved 
it  hitherto ;  a  boon  which  you  value  far  above  all  worldly 
wealth.  And  will  you  treat  him  worse  than  you  would 
a  fellow-being?  Will  you  say,  I  cannot  prevent  his 
recalling  what  is  his  own,  and  so  will  not  try?  Be 
ingenuous,  my  friend,  although  it  will  not  avail  your 
objects;  take  your  ground  not  to  oppose  him  in  respect 
to  your  life,  whether  you  can  prevent  him  or  not. 

/.  I  will  not  oppose  him,  at  any  rate. 

P.  Suppose,  as  before,  that  some  superior  being  had 
actually  invested  you  with  power  sufficient  to  prevent 
God.  The  natural  love  of  life  might  tempt  you  to  exert 
it  against  him ;  but  you  would  not  be  justified  in  using 
it.  It  would  be  a  high-handed  infringement  of  his 
rights,  and  an  unmitigated  wrong  against  him,  and  the 
wish  should  not  be  yielded  to.  In  common  propriety, 
supposing  you  now  to  possess  such  power,  you  wiU  not 
use  it  to  resist  God? 

/.  {aloud.)  No ;  I  will  not. 

P.  It  would  also  be  an  act  of  the  basest  ingratitude 
to  use  such  power  against  him;  which,  although  a  self- 
ish consideration  in  your  mind,  can  make  you  no* worse 
than  you  are,  for  there  are  grades  even  of  selfishness. 
He  has  hitherto  preserved  the  life  which  he  originally 
gave ;  and  he  has  guarded  it  for  you  among  a  thousand 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  216 

dangers  which  have  threatened  it.  It  is  reserved  for 
the  viper  to  wound  the  hand  that  feeds  it ;  but  not  for 
an  ingenuous  mind  so  to  treat  a  benefactor.  Will  you 
oppose  him  in  taking  it,  even  if  you  had  the  power  ? 

/.  {aloud.)  No;  I  will  not. 

P,  But  your  natural  love  of  life  would  tempt  yoii  to 
use  such  power  sufficiently  to  protect  it,  without  wish- 
ing to  injure  God;  and  to  use  it  at  all,  would  defeat 
him  on  that  point.  Your  success  would  infringe  on  his 
omnipotence,  destroy  the  foundations  of  his  government, 
and  plunge  him  and  the  universe  into  ruin.  In  good 
morals,  the  iniquity  of  the  principle  is  the  same  when 
merely  entertained,  as  when  actually  enforced.  Ought 
you  thus  to  ruin  God  for  the  sake  of  your  forfeited  life, 
by  preventing  his  recalling  it  ? 

I.  (aloud.)  No ;  and  I  will  not  resist  him,  come  what 
may. 

P.  You  have  made  no  progress  in  securing  your 
selfish  plans  or  objects;  but  there  is  an  obvious  pro- 
priety in  your  taking  this  position.  I  understand,  then, 
that  on  the  supposition  that  you  now  possess  the  power 
to  prevent  God,  you  will  not  oppose  him  in  recalling 
your  life  in  his  own  time,  since  it  would  be  wrong,  basely 
ungrateful,  and  ruinous  to  him  to  use  it? 

I.  I  will  not,  even  if  I  could  prevent  him;  it  would 
be  wrong. 

P.  When  I  repeat  my  question,  you  will  observe  that 
I  do  not  ask  whether  you  are  now  willing  not  to  oppose 
him,  for  I  know  that  you  are  not;  nor  do  I  ask  whether 
you  will  now  become  willing,  for  it  is  mere  nonsense  for 
you  to  endeavor  to  feel  willing.  But  my  question  is, 
that  unwilling  as  you  may  be  to  die,  will  you  consent 


OF   THV 

UNIVEHSI 


216  CONVERSION. 

yes  or  no,  so  far  as  the  mind  is  concerned,  not  to  oppose 
God  ?  I  refer  simply  to  a  resolution  of  the  will,  which 
you  are  aware  is  also  on  the  side  of  selfishness,  and  not 
to  any  change  in  your  willingness  or  unwillingness,  or 
in  your  desires  or  inclinations. 

/.  Then  my  consent  must  be  the  coldest  of  all  pos- 
sible acts,  and  therefore  the  most  useless. 

P.  Yes;  and  that  is  all  I  propose  to  have  you  do. 
You  have  been  mistaken  in  supposing  that  I  intended 
some  hearty  resolution,  as  you  would  express  it.  Once 
for  all,  you  must  understand  that  you  can  resolve  on 
this  subject  only  with  an  unwilling  mind  as  respects 
yielding  up  your  life;  and,  therefore,  without  any  will- 
ingness in  favor  of  God's  recalHng  it.  If  there  was  any 
thing  to  be  gained,  that  might  make  you  willing  to 
consent  to  let  God  recall  it,  but  there  is  nothing;  and 
if  you  understand  the  matter  correctly,  you  will  rather 
be  unwilling. 

I.  I  see  no  reason  to  be  make  me  willing  to  let  him 
recall  my  life ;  there  is  no  benefit  to  result  from  it. 

P.  I  can  make  this  perfectly  clear  by  an  illustration. 
Suppose  you  are  bound  to  spend  this  day  in  important 
business  for  me ;  and  suppose  you  now  receive  an  invi- 
tation to  meet  some  dear  friends,  and  spend  the  day 
with  them.  Your  desires  to  accept  it  become  very- 
strong,  and  you  apply  to  me  to  release  you  from  your 
engagement ;  but  I  refuse,  and  insist  upon  your  transact- 
ing my  business  immediately.  Now,  you  could  resolve 
to  stay  and  do  that  business,  but  it  would  be  a  very 
unwilling  resolution;  and  the  more  you  thought  of 
your  friends  the  more  disappointed  you  would  feel,  and 
the  more  unwilling  you  would  become  to  stay  here. 


OBSTACLES    TO    PKOGRESS.  217 

L  Yes ;  I  see  I  could  determine  to  stay.  But  there 
would  be  no  virtue  whatever  in  such  a  constrained  act. 

P.  I  have  not  said  that  it  would  be  virtuous;  but 
only  that  you  could  do  it.  And  yet  that  is  all  you 
can  do  upon  the  illustration  before  us.  You  are  un- 
willing to  die,  and  unwilling  to  let  God  or  any  one 
else  take  your  life ;  and  all  you  can  do  is  merely  to 
determine  you  will  not  oppose  him,  unwilling  as  you 
may  be.  It  will  show  you,  however,  that  you  cannot 
by  means  of  it  become  a  Christian,  or  get  a  pardon,  or 
any  evidences,  or  in  any  way  please  God,  so  as  to  succeed. 

/.  And  I  have  been  foolishly  trying  all  the  time  to 
feel  a  willingness  I 

P.  Test  it  once  again,  and  answer  without  trying  to 
be  sincere,  or  to  feel  willing,  or  to  mean  it,  or  to  have 
evidences,  or  to  have  right  motives  or  objects,  or  any 
thing  else.  Unwilling  as  you  are  to  die,  will  you  oppose 
God  in  recalling  your  life  in  his  own  appointed  time  ? 

/.  {ahud.)  No ;  I  will  not. 

jP.  And  you  are  no  more  willing,  or  in  a  more  hope- 
ful position  in  any  respect,  than  before.  And  if  you 
resolved  at  all,  it  must  have  been  unwillingly  as  respects 
your  life. 

/.  I  understand  you  now ;  and  I  shall  make  no  more 
efforts  to  feel  willing,  or  for  any  thing  else. 

P.  Then  we  can  soon  bring  this  matter  to  a  close. 
And  that  we  may  fully  understand  one  another,  and 
that  you  may  be  satisfied  beyond  all  doubt  that  you 
cannot  succeed  in  securing  any  such  change,  evidence, 
or  other  benefit  that  you  desire,  I  wish  to  propose  the 
question  in  two  directly  opposite  aspects.  There  are 
only  two  ways  in  which  your  mind  can  possibly  act 
19 


218  COXVEKSIOX. 

upon  it;  both  of  which  we  will  try,  and  then  drop  the 
subject.  The  first  is  that  which  you  have  supposed 
•to  be  the  right  ivay  in  which  to  succeed — namely,  by 
means  of  eftbrts  to  resolve  sincerely,  or  in  some  pecu- 
liar way.  The  second  is  that  which  we  have  seen  to 
be  the  wrong  one  to  effect  any  such  good — namely,  to 
resolve  just  as  it  happens,  without  any  effort  for  a 
motive  or  other  experiment,  just  as  you  consented  to 
read  over  those  lines.  You  then  merely  made  up 
your  mind  to  read  them,  without  any  anxiety  or  plan 
of  any  kind. 

/.  If  that  is  all  you  mean,  I  could  have  done  it  long 
ago.  But  I  was  so  possessed  with  the  notion  of  making 
myself  acceptable,  that  I  really  could  not  understand 
you  before.  But  of  what  possible  use  can  it  be  to 
resolve  at  all?  I  can  do  npthing  now,  or  hereafter,  to 
be  prepared  to  die,  and  shall  not  attempt  it.  I  can  in 
no  way  secure  my  desired  happiness,  for  it  is  not  to  be 
had;  and  I  shall  no  longer  pursue  a  mere  fancy.  I 
cannot  help  myself,  nor  will  God  help  me;  so  that  it 
seems  quite  unnecessary  to  press  your  question. 

P.  You  are  right  as  respects  any  success  you  can 
derive  from  the  resolution ;  but  still,  you  can  test  the 
correctness  of  my  proposition  by  acting  upon  it.  As 
you  are  entirely  selfish,  and  as  whatever  you  do  with 
your  present  views  must  be  with  the  selfish  heart,  every 
resolution  on  this  subject  may  be  set  down  as  certain  to 
be  selfish ;  and  if  you  will  take  this  "fact  for  granted, 
you  will  understand  me  forthwith. 

/.  I  know  that  every  resolution  I  form  will  be  selfish, 
as  certainly  as  I  make  one. 

P.  Then  try  it  in'  the  first  or  supposed  right  way. 


OBSTACLES    TO    PROGRESS.  219 

Suppose  God  intended  to  recall  your  life  in  twenty 
minutes ;  then  not  only  your  life,  but  your  future  hap- 
piness also,  must  be  for  ever  destroyed;  but  notwith- 
standing it  would  be  wrong  to  oppose  God  in  it.  Now, 
try  to  resolve  sincerely,  willingly,  or  in  any  way  you 
can  think  of  as  right :  Will  you  oppose  him  in  recalling 
your  life? 

/.  (aloud.)  No. 

P.  Have  you  acquired  any  new  feelings,  or  are  you 
any  more  willing,  or  do  you  mean  it  in  any  more  ac- 
ceptable manner  than  before  ? 

/.  No ;  nor  did  I  expect  to. 

P.  Then  you  are  not  disappointed.  Now,  take  the 
second  way  I  proposed,  that  which  we  have  seen  to  be 
the  wrong  one  as  respects  your  success;  and  answer 
at  once  just  as  it  happens,  whether  willing  or  unwilling, 
or  right  or  wrong;  for  in  no  case  will  you  receive  such 
feelings  as  you  have  desired.  Though  God  should 
recall  your  life  in  twenty  minutes,  still  you  will  not 
oppose  him  in  it  ? 

/.  {aloud.)  No ;  I  will  not  oppose  him. 

P.  You  have  gained  nothing,  as  you  can  perceive. 
But  you  seemed  to  hesitate,  as  though  you  were  placing 
your  life  in  some  greater  danger  than  it  is  in  already ; 
which  cannot  be  the  case,  as  you  well  know.  Please 
answer  at  once,  without  any  hesitation :  You  will  not 
oppose  God  in  recalling  it,  at  any  rate  ? 

/.  No. 

P.  It  would  be  wrong  to  do  so,  and  you  will  not 
oppose  him,  so  far  as  a  mere  resolution  goes  ? 

L  No,  I  will  not. 

P.  In  forming  this  final  resolution,  as  we  will  call  it 


220  CONVERSION. 

for  the  sake  of  a  more  ready  reference,  what  did  you 
think  about,  or  what  did  you  try  to  effect? 

L  I  thought  of  nothing  whatever  but  your  question. 
I  just  conchided  not  to  oppose  him,  and  made  no  effort 
of  any  kind.  I  did  not  try  to  effect  any  thing,  for  I 
knew  it  would  be  a  failure. 

P.  What  consideration  induced  you  to  determine  you 
would  not  oppose  God? 

/.  I  had  no  motive,  that  I  am  aware  of.  I  merely 
thought  I  would  not.  I  summoned  a  resolution  under 
,an  impulse,  as  it  seemed. 

P.  Do  you  mean  the  impulse  of  your  desire  to  please 
him? 

/.  No ;  I  had  no  thought  of  pleasing  him. 

P.  You  say  that  you  thought  of  nothing,  except  that 
you  would  not  oppose  him.  In  order  to  get  at  the  fact 
more  clearly,  permit  me  to  inquire  in  particular  whether, 
in  forming  this  final  resolution,  you  expected  to  learn 
how  to  love  God,  or  to  obtain  sincere  feelings,  or  find 
some  other  way  to  please  him  ? 

I.  I  did  not ;  for  I  thought  nothing  about  them. 

P.  Did  you  not  then  hope  to  be  prepared  when  you 
came  to  die  ? 

/.  No.  I  supposed  I  might  die  in  twenty  minutes, 
and  I  knew  I  could  not  be  prepared. 

P.  Did  you  then  try  to  resolve  in  a  right  way,  or  to 
have  a  right  motive,  or  a  right  object? 

/.  No ;  I  thought  nothing  about  them.  It  would 
have  been  of  no  use. 

P.  Did  you  try  to  forget  yourself,  or  to  overlook 
your  own  happiness,  so  as  not  to  be  selfish  in  forming 
that  final  resolution? 


OBSTACLES  TO  TROGRESS.        221 

L  No. 

P.  Did  you  then  think  of  yourself? 

/.  No. 

P.  It  would  have  done  no  good  if  you  had.  Did  you 
then  rely  on  Christ  or  on  the  Holy  Spirit  for  help  ? 

/.  I  thought  nothing  about  aid  from  either. 

P.  Did  you  have  any  plan  for  the  fature? 

/.  None  at  all. 

P.  Did  you  then  fear  any  injury  from  resolving? 

/.  No;  I  neither  expected  to  gain  any  thing,  nor 
feared  any  injury. 

P.  And  you  have  neither  succeeded  in  your  plans, 
nor  placed  yourself  in  greater  danger  by  it.  You  knew 
that  you  ought  not  to  oppose  God  ? 

/.  Yes ;  and  I  just  concluded  I  would  not. 

P.  God  is  a  holy,  just,  and  good  being ;  every  thing 
he  does  and  every  thing  he  requires  is  right,  however 
it  may  affect  our  personal  interests.  He  has  a  perfect 
right  to  dispose  of  our  lives  as  he  sees  fit ;  and  it  is 
this  fact  that  makes  it  so  grossly  wrong  to  oppose  him 
in  respect  to  it.  As  it  is  so  wrong,  you  ought  not  to 
oppose  him,  and  must  not. 

I.  And  I  will  not. 

P.  Does  this  fact  alone  seem  at  present  sufficient  to 
induce  you  to  resolve  not  to  oppose  God? 

I.  It  is  enough  of  itself.  It  is  wrong  to  oppose  him, 
and  I  will  not. 

P.  Even  though  he  should  take  it  immediately? 

/.  Yes;  even  though  I  am  not  prepared. 

P.  But,  in  forming  that  final  resolution,  did  you  not 
consider  that  you  could  not  prevent  God  from  taking 
your  life,  and  so  would  not  try?    ' 
19^ 


222  CON  VET;  SI  ox. 

I.  I  always  knew  I  could  not  hinder  him. 

P.  But  you  might  know  it  and  yet  not  have  it  influ- 
ence your  determination.  Thus,  in  view  of  some  neces- 
sary business  to  be  done,  you  might  resolve  to  visit  the 
metropolis.  You  would  know  that,  if  you  did  go,  you 
would  also  probably  see  multitudes  of  people  there. 
But  this  fact  would  not  be  your  motive  ;  if  your  business 
called,  that  would  move  you  to  go,  whether  many  people 
were  to  be  seen  or  not;  and  if  that  did  not  call,  you 
would  decline  going.  In  like  manner,  you  was  aware 
that  you  ought  not  to  oppose  God  in  recalling  your 
life,  and  you  also  knew  that  you  could  not  prevent 
him ;  but  did  that  fact  come  in  to  influence  you,  or  did 
you  resolve  that  you  would  not  do  it,  since  you  ought 
not,  whether  you  could  hinder  him  or  not? 

I.  I  understand  it  better.  I  did  not  think  whether 
I  could  prevent  him  or  not.  I  felt  an  impulse  that  I 
ought  not  and  must  not,  and  concluded  I  would  not. 

P.  So  that,  even  if  you  now  had  the  power,  you 
would  not  act  so  wrongly,  basely,  and  ruinously  toward 
God,  as  to  oppose  Mm  in  it.^ 

I.  I  would  not.  It  is  my  intention  not  to  do  it  in 
any  event. 

P.  Do  you  mean  it  in  the  same  sense  that  you  meant 
to  read  over  those  lines,  after  you  had  concluded  to  do 
so  at  my  request  ? 

I.  Yes;  but  I  can  hardly  consider  it  a  resolution, 
at  least  such  an  one  as  I  ought  to  have  formed.  It  is 
not  such  a  cordial  one  as  I  have  desired  to  make. 

P.  But  still  your  mind  is  made  up,  in  an  ordinary 
sense  ? 

/.  Certainly. 


O  M  S  T  X  C  L  E  S    TO     V  H  O  G  R  K  S  S .  223 

P.  God  has  a  right  to  recall  your  life  whenever  he 
will,  whether  you  are  prepared  or  not.  In  this  affirma- 
tive view,  do  you  now  consent  to  let  him  recall  it  at 
his  pleasure  ? 

I.  (aloud.)  Yes;  it  is  his  right,  and  he  may  recall  it 
when  he  chooses. 

P.  Even  now,  if  he  so  wills? 

/.  Yes;  even  now. 

P.  Under  the  thought  that  you  may  be  prepared  ? 

/.  No;  I  am  conscious  that  I  shall  not  be  prepared. 
I  can  derive  no  such  benefit  as  I  formerly  expected. 

P.  Although  you  may  not  be  willing  to  die,  in  itself 
considered,  yet  do  you  feel  willing,  at  present,  to  let 
God  exercise  his  right  over  your  life  in  preference  ? 

I.  Yes;  as  I  now  feel,  I  am  willing,  since  it  is  his 
right,  to  let  God  recall  my  life  whenever  he  may  choose. 
I  will  not,  knowingly,  oppose  God  in  any  respect  what- 
ever. 

P,  You  have  at  last  practically  seen  that  a  person  can 
resolve  on  a  moral  subject,  where  no  love  is  excited, 
and  where  there  is  nothing  personal  to  gain  or  lose; 
for  you  have  now  resolved  not  to  oppose  God  in  recall- 
ing your  life,  without  being  influenced  by  love  to  him, 
or  by  the  idea  of  receiving  any  selfish  benefit  or  injury. 

I.  The  truth  of  the  proposition  is  now  perfectly  ob- 
vious; and  it  seems  strange  that  so  plain  ^  thing  should 
have  been  so  obscure  to  my  mind. 

P.  The  difficulty  lay  in  your  expecting  to  learn  from 
it  what  it  could  never  teach;  and  hence  you  tried 
experiments  with  it  until  you  became  convinced.  In 
view  of  the  importance  of  practically  understanding  this 
point,  and  of  the  liability  of  the  selfish  min^l  to  mistake 


224  CONVERSION. 

some  other  action  for  it,  I  have  to  request  that,  before 
proceeding  further,  you  would  reexamine  the  illustration 
from  the  point  where  we  just  now  resumed  it,  and  take 
your  position  anew,  while  the  subject  is  fresh  on  your 
memory. 

I.  As  there  cannot  be  too  great  caution  exercised  by 
one  who  has  to  deal  with  such  a  deceitful  heart,  I  will 
immediately  comply  with  your  request. 

P.  Could  a  personal  interview  be  enjoyed  with  any 
of  those  whose  mistaken  positions  we  have  been  examin- 
ing in  connection  with  yours,  no  doubt  many  important 
points  relating  to  such  individually  could  be  cleared  up, 
and  much  valuable  information  could  be  afforded,  which 
the  circumstances  imperatively  prevent  from  being  now 
presented. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


DEVELOPMENT   OF    RIGHT   MORAL   PRINCIPLES. 


Pastor.  I  PROPOSE  to,  advance  with  the  aid  of  the 
moral  principle  which  we  have  just  viewed,  and  which 
it  is  hoped  you  have,  in  your  retrospection  and  action 
upon  the  illustration  with  which  the  last  chapter  con- 
cluded, firmly  embraced.  Your  audible  reply  is  desired 
as  before  to  the  questions  I  may  propose,  and  for  the 
same  practical  reason.  I  wish  you  to  consent  to  such  as 
you  shall  deem  correct,  in  the  same  ordinary  and  natural 
way  that  you  came  to  the  final  conclusion  that  you 
would  not  oppose  the  will  of  God  in  respect  to  your 
life ;  and  I  earnestly  request  you  never  to  repeat  those 
vain  eftbrts  to  produce  sincere,  feelings,  or  to  feel  willing 
in  the  first  instance,  or  to  resolve  in  some  supposed 
right  way  to  acquire  evidences  of  your  acceptance. 
Eesolve  freely,  uncurbed  by  mental  contractions  or  self- 
ish expedients,  since,  nothing  can  avail  toward  securing 
your  selfish  ends. 

Inquirer.  I  am  done  with  all  such  useless  expedients; 
and  hereafter  I  shall  answer  on  these  subjects  just  as  I 
would  consent  or  refuse  to  change  my  seat,  and  with 
no  more  efibrt. 

P.  God  has  the  same  right  to  direct  and  control  you 
in  the  use  of  life,  that  he  has  to  recall  it;  and  you  are 
as  much  bound,  therefore,  to  observe  his  directions. 
He  is  our  Creator  and  proprietor,  and  as  such  has  a 


226  CONVERSION. 

perfect  right  of  property  over  us,  a  right  of  sovereignty 
which  is  supreme  and  peremptory.  You  never  can 
effect  your  own  selfish  will  by  his  means,  or  by  means 
of  any  thing  you  can  do  yourself;  but  your  duty  to 
him  remains,  notwithstanding,  that  of  an  implicit  obe- 
dience; an  obedience  which  is  to  be  rendered  without 
question  or  regard  to  personal  or  other  consequences. 

I.  It  is  clear  that  my  duty  to  my  Creator  does  not 
in  the  least  depend  upon  any  consequences  to  myself  or 
others,  whether  they  prove  either  favorable  or  disas- 
trous. His  mere  right  to  command,  makes  it  obligatory 
on  me  to  obey ;  and  I  no  longer  expect  any  personal 
benefit  from  any  thing  I  may  do,  for  I  have  tested  that 
point  to  my  sad  conviction. 

P.  Nor  will  you  succeed  in  any.  But  God,  as  your 
Creator,  having  such  a  perfect  right  to  control  your 
conduct,  will  you  obey  him  hereafter,  so  far  as  you 
may  possess  the  ability? 

I.  {aloud.)  Yes.  It  does  not  seem  to  be  much  that 
I  can  do. 

P.  Why  have  you  formed  this  resolution?  Did  you 
anticipate  the  preservation  of  your  selfish  happiness  by 
means  of  it? 

I.  ISTo.  I  have  abandoned  all  such  expectations.  I 
perceived  that  my  Creator  had  a  right  to  my  service 
and  that  I  ought  to  obey  him,  and  that,  indeed,  I  must 
therefore  do  it ;  and  so  I  concluded  I  would. 

P.  That  is  precisely  what  I  proposed  by  my  question. 
It  is  said  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  "Him  hath  God 
exalted  with  his  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince,"  that  is,  a 
sovereign  ruler:  Will  you  hereafter  obey  him  as  your 
King  and  God? 


lUGHT    PRINCIPLES.  227 

/.  {aloud,)  Yes;  with  his  aid.  I  have  always  hereto- 
fore so  regarded  him  as  the  Redeemer,  as  practically  to 
neglect  him  as  the  Almighty  God  entitled  to  my  implicit 
obedience  on  that  account  only.  In  this,  also,  I  have 
been  sadly  wrong. 

P.  You  need  not  fear  that  your  present  resolutions 
will  not  be  observed.  I  will  hereafter  show  you  upon 
what  principles  they  can  be  executed,  but  yet  not  so 
as  to  secure  any  selfish  ends. 

/.  I  thank  you  for  this  encouragement;  for  these 
resolutions  are  so  obviously  demanded  by  duty,  and  are 
in  themselves  so  proper  to  be  observed,  that  it  is  my 
sincere  wish  to  fulfil  them. 

P.  Whenever  you  have  heretofore  sought  to  avoid 
transgression,  it  has  been  with  a  view  to  secure  your 
selfish  happiness;  but  that  end,  as  you  must  now  be 
convinced,  cannot  be  accomplished  by  it.  Still,  you 
ought  not  to  disobey  God  for  the  same  reason  that  you 
ought  not  to  oppose  his  will  in  respect  to  your  life. 
Christ,  as  your  Creator,  has  a  right  to  command  you 
to  avoid  all  transgressions  of  the  divine  law,  and  you 
are  under  obligations  to  shun  them  for  that  reason: 
Will  you  hereafter  obey  the  command  of  Christ  by.  ab- 
staining from  all  disobedience? 

/.  {aloud.)  I  will.  My  dependence  can  be  only  on 
the  Holy  Spirit  for  guidance  and  strength,  for  I  can  no 
longer  place  any  confidence  in  myself. 

P.  Should  a  kind  friend,  as  we  have  before  supposed, 
conier  on  you  a  large  fortune,  you  would  feel  inex- 
pressibly thankful;  and  no  consideration  could  induce 
you,  knowingly  or  in  willingness,  to  injure  him.  But 
if  your  life  and  all  its  privileges  were  at  hazard,  and 


228  CONVERSION. 

could  be  saved  only  by  the  surrender  of  that  fortune, 
you  would  sacrifice  it ;  for  life  is  the  most  valuable,  and 
you  could  live  without  the  fortune,  but  you  could  not 
enjoy  the  fortune  without  life.  God  has  kindly  given 
you  all  these  superior  privileges,  and  Israel's  Keeper 
has  ever  protected  you  even  while  dashing  onward  in 
sin ;  and  surely  you  will  never,  knowingly,  oppose  his 
will  or  injure  his  cause  by  disobedience  while  you  re- 
main the  recipient  of  his  blessings? 

I.  Never,  with  his  help.  And  yet,  alas !  I  fear  that  I 
may  yet  commit  much  that  is  wrong. 

P.  There  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth  that  doeth 
good,  and  sinneth  not  (Eccl.  7 :  20) ;  and  we  must  be 
watchful.  Heretofore,  as  we  have  seen,  you  have  acted 
as  if  you  had  a  supreme  right  to  control  yourself  and 
your  actions.  Do  I  understand  you  now  to  renounce 
this  claim  in  favor  of  the  superior  right  of  God  to 
control  you;  and  that,  when  they  conflict,  you  will 
observe  his  will  in  preference  to  your  own  ? 

I.  {aloud.)  Yes;  such  is  my  purpose. 

P.  My  friend,  permit  me  to  remind  you  that  hereto- 
fore you  had  set  up  your  own  selfish  welfare,  interests, 
and  happiness,  as  objects  of  desire  and  pursuit  superior 
to  every  thing  beside ;  and  that  this  was  the  parent  prin- 
ciple of  all  your  sins,  and  of  that  criminal  state  of  heart 
which  had  involved  you  in  all  depravity,  and  which  had 
justly  made  you  the  object  of  the  divine  abhorrence. 
It  should  be  renounced  as  opposed  to  God  and  antag- 
onistic to  every  thing  holy,  even  though  you  could 
succeed  in  it,  which  you  are  aware  is  impossible.  God 
forbids  it;  and  do  you  now  for  ever  abandon  the  pursuit 
pf  your  selfish  happiness? 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  229 

/.  {aloud.)  Yes;  and  may  God  ever  keep  me  from 
desiring  it  again  I 

P.  As  has  been  before  observed,  tbe  glory  of  God 
consists  in  the  moral  excellence  and  loveliness  of  the 
character  which  he  develops  by  means  of  the  holy,  just, 
and  good  administration  of  his  government  over  his 
moral  creatures.  Every  thing  he  is,  every  thing  he 
does,  and  every  thing  he  commands  us  to  do,  is  right; 
and  his  glory,  so  resplendent  in  moral  beauty,  forms 
the  most  desirable  object  for  his  own  love  and  pursuit 
which  is  conceivable  even  by  God.  There  is  nothing 
more  noble,  more  exalted,  more  worthy  of  man  as  a 
creatiire  of  God,  than  the  same  object;  and  in  making 
the  promotion  of  the  divine  glory  the  ultimate  aim  of 
all  our  purposes  and  conduct,  we  shall  do  honor  to  our 
own  natures.  With  the  divine  aid,  will  you  hereafter 
devote  yourself  to  the  promotion  of  the  glory  of  God, 
in  his  appointed  ways? 

/.  (aloud.)  Yes;  I  will. 

P.  In  order  to  secure  your  own  selfish  ends  thereby? 

L  No ;  I  had  no  such  thought,  expectation,  or  inten- 
tion; and  I  would  not  secure  them  if  it  was  in  my 
power,  for  it  would  be  in  opposition  to  the  will  of  God, 
and  that  is  sufficient.  Will  you  show  how  I  am  to 
glorify  him  ? 

P.  Yes,  hereafter.  As  you  well  know,  nothing  can 
reconcile  Christ  to  that  selfish  happiness  which  you  have 
yourself  so  properly  renounced.  As  the  Creator  and 
Sovereign  of  all,  it  is  his  province  to  decide  the  destiny 
of  his  sinful  creatures;  and  you  should  implicitly  resign 
yourself  into  his  hands,  leaving  at  his  unquestioned 
disposal  your  temporal  and  eternal  interests,  with  your 
20 


230  CONVERSION. 

body,  souly  time,  talents,  property,  and  every  thing  you 
possess.  Do  3^ou  now  consent  that  his  will  may  control 
in  all  these  respects  ? 

/.  (aloud.)  Yes.  I  deserve  nothing  at  his  hands;  but 
I  now  leave  myself  entirely  at  his  disposal  for  time  and 
for  eternity. 

P.  In  the  hope  that  he  will  secure  your  own  hap- 
piness by  means  of  pardoning  and  accepting  you  ? 

/.  No ;  I  thought .  nothing  about  that,  and  I  have 
no  wish  that  he  should  favor  me  unrighteously.  What- 
ever may  be  the  consequences,  I  now  devote  my- 
self to  him  to  serve  and  glorify  him  to  the  extent 
of  my  ability,  and  to  have  him  order  all  things  now 
and  hereafter  according  to  his  own  righteous  will. 
With  Eli  of  old  I  can  say,  "It  is  the  Lord^  let  him 
do  what  seemeth  him  good."  I  fall  upon  him  in  the 
dark  with  no  claim  upon  his  mercy ;  but  whatever  may 
befall,  I  would  rather  be  in  his  power  and  at  his  dis- 
posal than  at  my  own.  In  the  decided  language  of 
the  poet,  I  can  also  say: 

"Welcome!    welcome!    Lord  and  Saviour, 
Welcome  to  this  heart  of  mine; 
Lord!    I  make  a  full  surrender, 

Every  power  and  thought  be  thine. 
Thine  entirely — 

Through  eternal  ages  thine." 

P.  And  having  now  voluntarily  placed  the  reins  in 
his  hand,  having  resolved  your  will  in  obedience  to  his 
sovereign  authority,  be  will  henceforth  and  for  ever 
exercise  his  supreme  control  over  you  in  such  manner 
as  shall  best  promote  his  own  glory. 


RIGHT    PBINOIPLES.  231 

/.  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  to  have  him  do  so. 

P.  In  consenting  to  obey  him  and  to  be  resigned  to 
his  will,  did  you  act  from  the  dictates  of  your  con- 
science in  view  of  the  creative  rights  of  God  over  you? 
Did  the  idea  of  his  right  to  your  service,  for  example, 
so  impress  your  conscience  with  a  sentiment  of  duty 
toward  him  as  to  make  yoii  feel  that  you  ought  and  that 
you  therefore  would  obey  him,  or  did  some  thought  of 
securing  your  own  selfish  ends  intervene? 

/.  The  idea  of  his  right  to  my  service  was,  to  the  best 
of  my  observation,  the*only  external  consideration  that 
influenced  my  determination. 

P.  I  wish  you  would  be  habitually  certain  and  de- 
cided in  your  knowledge  of,  and  conclusions  respecting 
facts ;  for  there  is  neither  humility  nor  merit  in  doubt- 
ing things  within  our  own  observation;  while  to  do 
so,  evinces  either  an  undue  timidity  or  a  want  of  due 
investigation.  Consciousness  is  the  knowledge  of  our 
own  mental  operations  obtained  by  our  own  observa- 
tion; and,  next  to  divine  revelation,  it  is  the  highest 
evidence  capable  to  man,  and  must  supersede  every 
thing  contradictory.  Our  own  experience  is  always 
intuitively  perceivable.  Suppose  that,  for  the  reason 
of  acquiring  information,  you  determine  to  purchase  a 
book.  -  On  reflection,  you  would  be  perfectly  conscious 
that  you  had  so  resolved,  and  that  it  was  for  the  sole 
reason  of  gaining  information;  and  you  would  be  so 
certain,  that  if  every  person  you  met  should  deny  that 
you  had  formed  such  a  purpose,  or  for  such  a  reason 
alone,  you  would  reject  their  assertions  as  false,  and 
attribute  to  them  gross  ignorance  at  least.  And  you 
would  be  justified  in  this;  for,  as  they  could  not  scru- 


232  CONVERSION. 

tinize  your  mental  operations,  they  would  not  possess 
the  same  degree  of  evidence  as  yourself;  and  to  yield 
the  point  to  their  vehemence,  would  be  pure  folly. 

I.  Undoubtedly  in  such  a  case  I  should  retain  my 
belief  in  full  confidence,  though  every  person  should 
affirm  that  it  was  not  valid.  They  might  be  honest, 
but  would  still  be  mistaken. 

P.  The  same  principle  should  be  applied  to  the  sub- 
jects we  are  now  examining;  and  you  should  receive 
with  a  perfect  certainty  whatever  your  consciousness 
clearly  declares  to  be  a  fact. 

I.  And  I  will  hereafter  always  do  so. 

P.  You  are  conscious,  for  example,  that  you  have 
resolved,  in  an  ordinary  way,  to  serve  the  Lord? 

I.  Yes ;  I  am  conscious  of  it  and  could  as  soon  doubt 
my  existence. 

P.  As  you  now  look  at  the  subject,  does  the  fact  that 
your  Creator  has  a  right  to  your  service  appear  a  suffi- 
cient influence  of  itself  to  move  you  to  resolve  to 
obey  him  ? 

I.  It  does.  No  other  reason,  at  present,  produces 
my  resolution;  and  if  there  were  any  other,  that  is 
now  sufficient  of  itself.  But  I  cannot  clearly  see  how 
I  have  reached  this  position. 

P.  Then  you  can  be  perfectly  certain  from  conscious- 
ness, were  the  whole  world  to  contradict  you,  that  the 
idea  of  the  right  of  God  to  your  service  is  alone  suffi- 
cient now  to  move  you  to  resolve? 

/.  Yes;  I  am  perfectly  conscious  of  it,  and  perfectly 
confident. 

P.  And  it  is  my  advice  that  you  always  obtain  and 
act  upon  the  same  clear  perception  and  knowledge  of 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  233 

facts  within  tlie  compass  of  jour  own  observation; 
and  if  on  such  evidence,  then  also  on  the  higher 
grounds  afforded  by  revelation.  By  doing  so  you  will 
avoid  much  perplexity,  darkness,  and  distress;  and  will 
make  greater  progress  in  those  pursuits  which  you  may 
hereafter  select. 

/.  I  will  no  longer  fear  being  presumptuous  when  I 
am  sustained  by  clearly  perceived  facts. 

P.  You  will  please  give  your  attention  to  the  follow- 
ing illustration,  and  make  it  real  by  supposing  the  facts 
true  in  your  own  case.  You  have  probably  restrained 
your  feelings  recently  under  the  apprehension  that  they 
would  be  selfish ;  but  I  wish  you  to  do  so  no  more,  for 
by  repressing  them  you  will  be  unable  to  feel  on  any 
subject.  Whatever  emotions  may  arise  spontaneously, 
let  them  come,  while  you  direct  your  attention  exclu- 
sively to  the  thoughts  that  may  be  presented. 

/.  I  will  do  so;  and  will  obstruct  my  feelings  no 
longer. 

P,  Suppose  that  there  are  many  persons  who  are 
your  mortal  enemies  and  guilty  of  the  most  atrocious 
crimes.  Kectitude  demands  their  condign  punishment; 
but  your  benevolent  sympathies  toward  them  forbid 
its  infliction  without  an  effort  to  deliver  them  from 
their  guilty  state  and  conduct,  in  order  that,  by  their 
true  penitence,  rectitude  may  be  satisfied  in  their  par- 
don. But  this,  let  us  suppose,  can  only  be  done  by 
some  immense  sacrifice  on  your  part.  You  have  a  little 
brother,  sister,  or  child  of  that  tender  and  confiding  age 
when  they  are  most  interesting;  one  who  loves  you 
with  all  the  affections  of  its  guileless  heart,  and  who, 
in  return,  is  beloved  by  you  as  your  own  soul.  Here 
20* 


284  CONVERSION. 

is  tlie  lamb  whose  slaughter  alone,  we  will  suppose,  can 
permit  you  properly  to  gratify  your  benevolence  toward 
those  enemies.  But  how  could  you  endure  the  thought 
of  inflicting  such  intensity  of  anguish  upon  that  beloved 
object!  How  sustain  the  idea  of  lacerating  so  profoundly 
your  own  pure  affection  for  the  loving  and  confiding 
child !  How  few  of  any  sensibility  would  be  competent 
to  the  sacrifice !  But,  moved  by  a  view  of  the  condition 
of  these  enemies,  your  soul  becomes  nerved  to  the  utmost 
of  its  power;  tremblingly  you  seize  the  child,  and  amid 
its  falling  tears,  and  cries,  and  shrieks,  you  nail  its  quiv- 
ering limbs  to  j^onder  wall! — and  then  stand  gloomily 
by  to  witness  the  terrible  results.  The  blood  trickles 
down  its  face  pale  with  agony;  its  bosom  heaves  with 
intense  anguish;  and  the  scalding  .tears  suffuse  the  eyes 
still  cast  upon  you  in  tenderest  love,  while  you  hear  its 
moaning  complaint.  Have  you  done  this?  as  it  sinks 
in  death.     You  could  not  endure  it. 

I.  No ;  my  soul  would  almost  expire  in  the  anguish 
it  had  created.  Thank  God  that  such  a  sacrifice  is  not 
required  of  us ! 

P.  It  was  asked  of  old,  "Wherewith  shall  I  come 
before  the  Lord? — shall  I  give  my  first  born  for  my 
transgression,  the  fruit  of  my  body  for'  the  sin  of  my 
soul?"  No.  It  was  reserved  for  God  alone  to  make 
that  sacrifice.  He  beheld  a  world  crowded  with  his 
enemies,  bound  in  selfishness,  self-ruined,  bent  on  un- 
ceasing sin  and  rebellion,  and  destined  to  endless  per- 
dition. His  compassion  was  profoundly  moved,  but 
rectitude  forbade  the  world's ,  deliverance  without  an 
adequate  remedy  for  the  violated  law.  There  was  one 
way  only  which  even  infinite  wisdom  could  devise,  by 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  285 

which,  on  man's  true  repentance,  the  authority  of  the 
divine  law  could  be  sustained.  God  had  a  Son,  an 
only  son,  a  son  beloved  as  his  own  glory,  for  he  was 
the  very  brightness  of  that  glory;  and  upon  him  the 
powerful  affections  of  his  great  heart  were  immutably 
and  intensely  fixed;  and  man's  redemption  could  be 
reached  only  through  his  sacrifice!  He  who  spared 
us  spared  not  himself,  nor  that  beloved  object!  He 
who  faltered  over  man's  wretchedness,  faltered  not  over 
the  pain  he  was  called  upon,  by  mere  compassion,  to 
inflict  on  his  holy  child !  To  the  persecutors  he  gave 
him;  in  all  his  obedience  and  sufferings  through  life  he 
followed  him;  and  when  the  hour  for  the  last,  sad, 
crowning  trial  was  arrived,  to  the  murderers  he  deliv- 
ered him.  Nailed  to  the  cross,  his  body  writhing  under 
its  pains,  and  his  blood  commingling  with  the  tears 
that  streamed  down  his  haggard  face,  he  watched  him. 
A  spectacle  of  shame  to  the  deriding  crowds,  the  Father 
stood  aloof  even  while  the  heavens  clothed  themselves 
with  his  funeral  pall,  and  the  earth  rocked  to  open,  as 
it  were,  a  sepulchre  for  him.  Terrible  as  were  then  the 
pains  of  his  body,  they  were  trifling  in  comparison  to 
the  agony  which  swept  over  his  holy  soul  when  Christ 
entered  under  the  penalty  of  the  violated  law  of  God, 
and  its  pains  were  poured  down  like  an  overwhelming 
torrent  upon  him — those  pains  which  we  should  have 
endured  instead!  The  anticipation  of  them  had  well 
nigh  destroyed  his  life  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane; 
but  now  the  reality  was  upon  him.  With  uncovered 
head  and  with  his  bosom  bared  to  its  pitiless  agonies, 
he  passed  down  alone  into  the  wine-press  of  the  fierce- 
ness and  wrath  of  the  Almighty  God  1     Who  can  pen- 


236  CONVERSION. 

etrate  those  crushing  sufferings  beneath  which  Christ 
trembled  and  agonized  during  those  fatal  hours;  and 
who  can  fully  appreciate  the  deep  emotions  which  must 
then  have  filled  his  Father's  heart!  And  yet  he  himself 
inflicted  the  final  blow;  for  he  departed  and  left  the 
sufferer  alone  with  the  powers  of  death,  and  the  still 
more  raging  powers  of  hell.  This  desertion  broke  his 
heart,  and  with  its  crowning  agony  terminated  his  pro- 
tracted sufferings:  "My  God,"  he  cried,  "hast  thou  for- 
saken me?"  And  bowing  his  head  heavily  upon  his 
bosom,  his  weary  spirit  fled. . 

I.  Thank  Grod  that,  having  suffered  once  for  all  (Heb. 
10 :  10),  he  is  never  again  to  breast  that  storm  of  wrath! 

P.  As  your  voluntary  sufferings  with  regard  to  the 
child  would  evince  not  only  the  extent  of  your  com- 
passion for  your  enemies,  but  your  superior  regard  to 
rectitude,  so  do  the  sufferings  of  Christ  exhibit  those 
traits  of  God  in  a  most  eminent  degree.  How.  profound 
is  that  compassion!  "God  [not  the  Son  only,  but  God] 
so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life." — John  3  :  16.  How  devoted  is 
he  to  rectitude!  it  is  superior  to  his  compassion  not 
only,  but  also  to  his  love  for  the  happiness  of  his  own 
Son.  How  disinterested  is  his  goodness!  sacrificing 
his  beloved,  and  not  for  his  friends,  but  for  his  enemies, 
many  of  whom  hated  him  so  intensely  as  to  deride  the 
sacrifice  itself.  How  perfectly  uncontaminated  is  he 
with  selfishness !  sacrificing  every  thing  personal  when 
it  interferes  with  the  attainment  of  these  higher  objects. 
Around  the  cross,  there  radiates  "an  excellent  glory" 
which  is   lovely  beyond  expression,  and  is  worthy  of 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  237 

the  everlasting  praise  of  every  moral  creature  in  tlie 
vast  universe  of  God ;  and  that  glory  expanded  by  his 
subsequent  gracious  conduct  toward  his  erring  creatures, 
has  illuminated  our  day. 

/.  It  is  indeed  most  lovely. 

P.  When  I  reflect  upon  the  necessity  that  some  strong 
hand  should  control  the  multitudes  which  exist  in  the 
world,  and  when  I  remember  that  God  created,  and  has 
therefore  a  perfect,  exclusive,  and  absolute  right  to 
govern  all,  I  feel  willing  to  have  him  rule,  whatever 
may  be  the  results  to  myself.  And  when  I  dwell  upon 
his  wisdom,  power,  and  rectitude,  I  am  glad  that 
he  does  reign;  and  glad  that  no  one  can  rightfully 
question  his  conduct  or  is  able  to  destroy  his  sover- 
eignty. How  do  you  regard  these  things  as  you  feel 
at  present? 

/.  I  feel  entirely  willing  to  be  in  his  hands;  and 
would  rather  have  his  will  control  than  my  own. 

P.  Would  you  withdraw  yourself  from  his  rule  and 
power,  if  you  were  able? 

L  I  would  not. 

P.  When  in  addition  to  those  traits,  I  contemplate 
his  unwavering  justice,  so  indispensible  to  the  well- 
ordering  of  the  moral  universe ;  his  benignity,  forbear- 
ance, and  personal  long  suffering  toward  evil  doers 
whom  his  single  word  would  consign  to  a  deserved 
perdition;  his  unrequij;ed,  yet  still  unfaiHng  goodness 
in  his  blessings  upon  the  unjust  and  unthankful;  his 
compassion  for  his  enemies;  his  rectitude,  even  in  his 
mercy; — when,  I  say,  I  contemplate  him  as  the  Holy 
One,  so  disinterestedly  kind,  just,  and  good,  I  cannot 
refrain  from  loving  him — would  that  it  was  more  pro- 


238  CONVERSION. 

found,  more  tender  I  In  considering  these  traits,  how 
do  you  now  feel  toward  them? 

/.  I  can  like  them,  and  him  for  them.  I  see  them 
as  it  were  through  a  glass,  darkly;  but  the  view  is 
most  beautiful  notwithstanding. 

P.  The  vision  is  obscure  because  it  is  so  new;  but 
the  more  you  dwell  upon  his  character  the  clearer  will 
be  your  view,  and  the  higher  will  be  your  regard  for 
it.  Can  you  now  love  this  glory,  and  God  for  his 
glorious  character,  in  the  natural  way  in  which  you 
would  love  any  other  good  object  ? 

/.  Yes.     I  can  love  him,  as  never  before. 

P.  Do  you  know  of  any  thing  which  is,  in  your  view, 
preferable  to  God  and  his  glory  ? 

/.  No;  I  feel  that  I  can  prefer  him  to  any  and  every 
thing  besides.  And  yet  I  do  not  love  him  as  much  as 
I  perceive  he  deserves. 

P.  Love  him  all  you  can;  no  more  can  be  required 
of  us.  Can  you  love  his  trait  of  justice,  as  well  as  his 
mercy?  His  justice  is  as  important  and  as  indispensable 
to  the  preservation  and  well  ordering  of  his  moral  gov- 
ernment and  consequently  to  his  glory,  as  the  other. 

/.  Yes ;  I  can  now  love  God  for  his  justice. 

P.  Under  the  hope  that  it  will  not  be  inflicted  upon 
yourself? 

/.  I  thought  nothing  about  that;  it  was  independent 
of  all  personal  considerations.  Much  as  I  dread  its 
infliction,  I  would  not  disarm  him  of  it  even  if  I  could. 

P.  Can  you  love  Christ  for  his  holy,  just,  and  good 
character,  as  well  as  for  his  disinterested  sacrifice? 

/.  Yes;  and  whether  he  confers  its  benefits  on  me 
or  not,  much  as  I  may  desire  them.     You  will  under- 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  '  239 

stand  that  I  do  not  value  happiness  the  less,  but  that  I 
now  desire  the  will  of  God  the  more,  or  in  preference  to  it. 

P.  As  you  feel  now,  would  the  observance  of  the 
divine  will  and  the  promotion  and  contemplation  of  his 
moral  excellence  and  glory,  afford  you  pleasure? 

/.  I  know  of  nothing  which  would  afford  more  sat- 
isfaction. My  feelings  are  so  new'  and  pleasant  that  I 
can  hardly  describe  them.  I  am  glad  that  Christ  reigns, 
that  "he  hath  mercy  on  whom  he  will  have  mercy,  and 
that  wlrom  lie  will  he  hardeneih,"  for  it  will  all  be  right. 
I  feel,  as  one  has  remarked,  as  if  treading  in  a  new 
world.  Every  thing  seems  to  lead  my  thoughts  to 
God.  "God,  the  great — the  holy  God,  the  benevolent, 
wise,  perfect  God  "  seems  written  on  every  thing  around 
•me.  And  how  inexpressibly  lovely  does  his  character 
appear;  so  pure,  so  just,  and  yet  so  kind,  so  perfectly 
holy  and  radiant  with  every  moral  beauty  I  There  is  a 
richness  and  excellence  in  the  character  of  God  which 
I  have  never  before  perceived,  and  which  I  hardly  be- 
lieved to  exist  when  portrayed  by  others.  I  always 
knew  that  God  was  right,  and  ajpiwoved  of  him  in  all 
he  was  and  did;  but  I  never  before  appreciated  or 
hved  his  moral  beauty.  "O  worship  the  Lord  in  the 
beauty  of  his  holiness!"  Now  I  can  exclaim,  "Holy, 
holy,  holy  Lord  God  Almighty,  the  whole  earth  is  full 
of  thy  glory  I" 

P.  Look  upon  the  conduct  of  your  past  life  in  con- 
trast with  the  authority  and  glory  of  God.  You  have 
rejected  that  authority,  you  have  disregarded  that  glory, 
and  you  have  done  evil  as  you  could.  Under  your 
present  views,  how  do  you  feel  in  regard  to  it  ? 

I.  I  have,  as  yet,  thought  but  little  of  it ;  but  I  am 


240  CONVERSION. 

disgusted  with  myself  and  my  conduct.  The  whole  is 
stamped  with  unholiness;  and  its  moral  deformity  is 
hateful  to  my  sight.  It  is  a  luxury  even  to  grieve  over 
the  odious  selfishness  of  my  past  life. 

P.  Christians  desire  to  imitate  the  character  and  pro- 
mote the  glory  of  God  in  their  life  and  conversation. 
As  you  feel  now,  can  you  love  them  on  that  account? 

I.  I  feel  that  I  can ;  and  the  more  closely  they  imi- 
tate their  Father  in  heaven  in  their  principles  and 
conduct,  the  more  I  shall  love  them. 

P.  Would  you  love  to  have  sinners  converted? 

/.  Yery  much  indeed. 

P.  Of  course  you  desire  their  deliverance  from  endless 
misery ;  but  would  you  have  it  at  the  expense  of  the 
Sovereignty  or  glory  of  God? 

I.  I  would  not.  Now  the  fall  meaning  and  value  of 
the  "salvation  of  God"  breaks  in  upon  me;  for,  in  fact, 
it  was  difficult  to  perceive  the  difference  between  that, 
and  the  selfish  salvation  I  so  much  desired.  I  no 
longer  wonder  at  the  mistakes  committed  on  that  sub- 
ject by  professors  as  well  as  sinners.  It  is  a  far  dif- 
ferent thing  to  love  God  and  his  glory,  and  to  desire 
to  avoid  sin  because  it  is  opposed  to  him,  and  to  love 
one's  own  happiness  chiefly,  and  to  desire  to  avoid  sin 
because  it  will  ultimately  interfere  with  that.  I  would 
now  have  all  sinners  converted  from  sin  itself  to  God 
and  his  glory  in  a  supreme  love  of  him. 

P.  K  I  understand  you  correctly,  your  present  feel- 
ings and  purposes  differ  from  those  you  have  heretofore 
exercised,  in  the  following  respects:  First,  you  always 
heretofore  acted  merely  from  the  desire  to  promote  your 
own   safety  and   happiness   by  your   religious   efforts; 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  241 

whereas,  at  present,  although  you  still  desire  happiness, 
the  fact  that  God  has  a  right  to  your  obedience  is  a 
sufficient  motive  of  itself  to  induce  you  to  obey. 

L  Yes;  I  can  clearly  perceive  that  difference. 

P,  Next,  heretofore  your  own  happiness  was  chiefly- 
prized  and  always  ultimately  in  view ;  whereas,  now  you 
prefer  the  glory  of  God  to  it,  and  pursue  that  chiefly. 

/.  Such  is  the  correct  explanation. 

P.  Next,  you  have  always  heretofore  employed  the 
means  of  grace  as  instruments  of  sin — that  is,  to  forward 
your  selfish  hopes,  desires,  and  purposes;  whereas,  now 
it  is  your  desire  and  purpose  to  use  them  for  the  more 
ultimate  promotion  of  the  divine  glory. 

/.  Yes;  I  now  supremely  desire,  whether  I  eat  or 
drink  or  whatever  I  do,  to  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God. 
Irrespective  of  all  possible  consequences,  he  is  worthy  of 
my  entire  devotion,  and  shall  have  it  with  Christ's  help. 

P.  Next,  you  have  new  reasons  in  view  of  which 
yon  wish  to  avoid  sin,  to  have  sinners  converted,  and 
also  for  loving  Christians.  Before,  they  were  your  own 
interests  and  the  workings  of  natural  sympathy;  now, 
they  are  the  command  of  God,  the  moral  deformity  of 
sin,  and  the  likeness  of  Christians  to  Christ? 

/.  Yes. 

P,  What  kind  of  happiness  do  you  desire  for  others? 

/.  Not  their  selfish  happiness  at  all ;  but  their  enjoy- 
ment of  God,  his  glory  and  service. 

P.  In  fine,  as  heretofore  it  was  your  general  intention 
and  disposition  to  subserve  your  own  interests  and  hap- 
piness ultimately,  it  is  now  your  general  intention  and 
disposition  to  promote  the  glory  of  God  ultimately;  and 
you  can  take  your  pleasure  in  so  doing? 
21 


242  CONVERSION. 

/.  Yes.     But  I  anticipated  no  such  results. 

P.  My  argument  all  along,  you  will  observe,  was 
that  you  could  not  succeed  in  your  selfish  happiness; 
that  you  could  never  secure  the  favor  of  God  by  any 
tiew  feelings  or  other  means  whatever,  so  as  to  make 
him  favorable  to  it.  And  it  has  proved  true ;  for  you 
have  not,  and  never  can  succeed  in  that  object. 

/.  That  is  true ;  and  however  much  I  desired  it  then, 
I  would  not  effect  it  now  if  I  could,  in  opposition  to 
the  will  and  glory  of  Grod. 

P.  I  never  said  that  you  could  not  love  and  glorify 
God;  but  only  that  you  could  not  do  so  in  your  selfish 
state  of  heart,  and  while  so  bent  on  your  own  ends. 
When  you  abandoned  these,  the  dif&culty  was  removed. 
Now,  you  can  not  only  desire  to  obey  God  in  view  of  his 
creative  rights  and  purpose  to  live  to  his  glory,  but 
you  can  execute  them  through  divine  grace.  It  is  the 
very  course  that  God  requires  of  you,  and  with  which 
he  is  pleased.  The  Holy  Spirit  by  his  power  brought 
you  there,  and  he  will  aid  you  in  prosecuting  such  right 
desires  and  purposes.  You  may  now  rely  upon  him  for 
guidance  and  strength  with  the  same  confidence  that 
you  would  expect  him  to  promote  holiness  with  any 
other  person,  or  under  any  other  circumstances. 

/.  I  thank  you  for  this  encouragement.  Still,  I  fear 
that  I  shall  continue  to  be  selfish  in  my  proceedings, 
and  this  apprehension  has  hindered  me  all  along. 

P.  I  have  been  aware  of  it,  but  could  not  touch  upon 
the  point  until  now.  You  know  as  well  as  you  know 
any  thing,  whether  you  now  choose  the  divine  glory 
in  preference  to  every  thing  besides?  Let  your  mind 
act  with  truthfdl  decision  on  the  point. 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  243 

1.  Certainly ;  T  am  conscious  of  that  preference. 

P.  Then  you  need  no  longer  apprehend  that  your 
future  feelings,  purposes,  and  efforts  will  be  selfish. 
Whatever  may  be  the  religious  character  of  the  soul,  it 
never  parts  with  its  constitutional  faculties  or  propen- 
sities; nor  with  its  appetites  until  delivered  from  the 
body.  Your  natural  desires  of  life,  of  knowledge,  of 
society,  of  esteem,  of  possessions,  of  power,  of  happiness, 
and  the  like,  will  remain  more  or  less  developed  accord- 
ing to  circumstances;  but  it  was  the  indulgence  of  these 
and  of  the  bodily  appetites  independently  of  God  and 
to  the  end  of  your  own  gratification,  that  made  you 
supremely  selfish  in  heart  and  conduct.  But  you  have 
now  a  superior  principle,  one  by  which  you  can  control 
and  make  these  sxihordinate  to  God,  and  subservient  to  the 
divine  glory — namely,  the  desire  and  purpose  to  uphold 
the  authority  of  God  over  your  will,  feelings,  and  con- 
duct. This  relieves  those  propensities  from  the  stamp 
of  selfishness,  which  consisted  solely  in  their  predomi- 
nancy as  motive  influences.  It  is  now  proper  for  you 
to  take  pleasure  in  God,  his  service  and  glory,  for  it  is 
a  holy  pleasure.  It  will  not  now  be  selfish  to  hope  in 
his  salvation,  for  it  is  "God's  salvation"  you  now  desire. 
— Eom.  5:2.  It  will  not  be  selfish  to  take  pleasure  in  , 
worldly 'good  where  the  means  are  not  objectionable, 
where  it  is  had  in  subordination  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
where  it  is  taken  under  the  general  intention  to  honor 
him.  And  it  will  not  be  selfish  to  pursue  those  worldly 
avocations  which  are  lawful  and  necessary  for  our  own 
support  and  that  of  our  families,  and  to  enable  us  to 
acquire  and  do  good  with  our  substance  in  Christ's  king- 
dom, when  they  are  pursued  with  the  same  subordination 


244  CONVERSION. 

and  ultimate  intention.  Dismiss  your  fears  on  this  point; 
but  be  on  your  guard  lest  you  fall  into  temptation. 

I.  I  now  see  the  difference  between  selfishness  and 
holiness  more  clearly,  and  can  take  courage. 

P.  The  more  pleasure  y6u  take  in  God  and  in  his 
service,  the  stronger  will  you  become. — ISTeh.  8 :  10. 
The  chief  end  of  man  is  "to  glorify  God  and  enjoy  Mm 
for  ever,"  Such  being  the  salvation  which  you  now 
at  heart  desire,  it  will  not  be  selfish  to  seek  it;  for  in 
this  sense  it  is  only  another  term  for  an  eternal  moral 
union  and  blessedness  with  God.  "Let  such  as  love  thy 
salvation  say  continually,  The  Lord  be  magnified." — Ps. 
40 :  16.  Such  a  salvation  implies  a  Godly  repentance 
for  sin,  true  faith  in  Christ,  holy  obedience,  moral  con- 
formity to  the  divine  character,  and  enjoyment  of  the 
glory  of  God.  In  all  your  ways  devote  yourself  to  God, 
and  when  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear,  then  shall 
you  also  appear  with  him  in  glory. — Col.  3 : 4. 

7.  It  is  my  earnest  desire  to  honor  and  glorify  God, 
so  far  as  I  can  learn  how  to  do  so. 

P.  A  parent  who  instructs  his  son  in  good  morals 
and  in  strict  business  habits,  thereby  exhibits  his  own 
moral  characteristics  and  business  principles;  and  when 
the  son  acts  upon  them  before  the  world,  he  exhibits  to 
others  through  himself,  these  good  traits  of  his  parent, 
and  thus  honors  him  before  men.  And  when  he  does 
so  with  the  deliberate  intention  of  making  the  charac- 
ter of  his  parent  known,  and  from  a  love  to  him  and 
a  desire  to  obey  him,  he  thereby  honors  him  in  his 
heart.  In  like  manner,  whoever  does  the  same  in  re- 
spect to  Christ's  holy  teachings,  making  it  known  that, 
in  his  principles   and   conduct,  he  purposes   to   obey 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  245 

Christ,  will  exhibit  Christ's  character  before  the  world. 
So  far  as  he  does  exhibit  it,  he  will  honor  him  before 
men;  and  by  his  desire  and  intention  to  do  so,  will 
honor  him  in  his  heart.  Thus  his  worship  and  praise 
become  the  occasions  of  glorifying  God,  because  they  flow 
from  a  devoted  heart  and  exhibit  Christ's  goodness  to 
others. — Ps.  50 :  23.  Our  labors  for  the  conversion  of  men 
and  in  every  good  work  honor  God  for  the  same  reasons, 
and  because,  as  the  fruits,  others  also  are  brought  to 
engage  in  the  same  love  and  duty. — John  15 :  8. 

L  I  perceive  the  principle. 

P.  In  obeying  and  glorifying  God,  whatever  may  be 
our  particular  mental  frames  from  time  to  time,  we 
should  act  upon  the  preintention  to  observe  his  authority 
and  to  promote  his  glory  in  whatever  we  may  engage. 
This  will  habitually  influence  us;  and  will  stamp  the 
character  of  our  hearts  in  all  we  do,  even  when  the 
special  occupation  shall  have  so  engrossed  our  thoughts 
as  to  exclude  the  remembrance  of  God  for  the  time 
being.  If  you  should  start  for  the  metropolis  from  an 
intention  to  do  some  good  act,  that  general  intention 
would  govern  your  movements  aU  the  way  and  would 
decide  your  character  in  them,  even  though  your  in- 
termediate occupations  should  almost  entirely  exclude 
thoughts  upon  the  object  of  your  journey. 

L  Yes;  the  character  of  our  governing  intention, 
being  itself  determined  by  that  of  the  motive  or  object 
in  view,  must  decide  our  own  character  and  that  of  our 
conduct  under  it.  And  I  now  see  that,  with  such  a 
holy  intention,  conduct  otherwise  only  moral  as  respects 
men,  may  be  made  evincive  of  piety  toward  God. 

P.  You  are  right.  But  never  let  your  immediate 
21* 


246  CONVERSION. 

occupations  hinder  you  from  securing  that  leisure  which 
is  necessary  to  the  cultivation  of  right  affections.  In 
respect  to  the  means  or  instrumentalities  by  which  we 
are  to  glorify  God  in  our  bodies  and  spirits,  agreeably 
to  his  command  (1  Cor.  6 :  20),  you  will  observe  that 
it  is  of  the  first  importance  that  the  divine  law  be 
made  the  habitual  rule  of  our  lives.  As  it  was  promul- 
gated by  the  sovereign  authority  of  God  as  our  law- 
giver, we  should  obey  it  because  of  his  right  to  command 
us;  and  as  it  was  designed  to  promote  his  glory,  we 
should  observe  its  precepts  with  that  ulterior  view. 
The  law  is  his  great  instrument  in  governing  his  loyal 
subjects,  in  promoting  their  best  good  in  consistency 
with  rectitude,  and  in  developing  his  own  moral  char- 
acteristics; and  although  salvation  is  not  by  the  law, 
but  by  grace  through  faith  (Gal.  2 :  16),  yet  it  is  so 
intimately  dependent  on  holy  character  that  he  who 
rejects  the  law  or  refuses  to  make  its  precepts  his  guide 
in  life,  will  fail  of  the  salvation  of  God. — Eom.  2^:  13. 

I.  And  necessarily  so,  since  his  is  a  salvation  to 
holinesS;  and  in  continued  holiness,  to  an  ultimate  bless- 
edness in  the  glory  of  God.. 

P.  The  moral  law  is  most  eminently  adapted  to  the 
ends  proposed  by  its  author.  But,  as  is  remarked  by 
Mr.  Abbott  in  the  Corner-Stone^  we  have  read  the  ten 
commandments  so  many  times,  and  they  have  been  so 
long  and  so  indelibly  impressed  on  the  memory,  that  it 
is  difficult  to  get  a  fresh  and  vivid  conception  of  their 
character.  To  obviate  this  difficulty  he  proceeds  to 
give  their  sul^stance  in  other  language;  and  I  now 
insert,  substantially,  his  statement  of  them  for  your 
attentive  examination  and  observance. 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  247 


I. — DUTY  TO   GOD. 


1,  Your  Maker  must  be  the  highest  object  of  your 
interest  and  affection.  Allow  nothing  to  take  prece- 
dence of  him ;  but  make  it  your  first  and  great  desire  to 
honor  him  and  to  obey  his  commands. 

2,  You  are  never  to  speak  of  him  lightly  or  with 
irreverence,  and  you  are  not  to  regard  any  visible  object 
as  the  representative  of  him.  He  is  a  spirit  invisible 
from  his  very  nature,  and  you  must  worship  him  in 
spirit  and  in  truth. 

3,  Consecrate  one  day  in  seven  to  the  worship  of 
God,  and  to  your  own  religious  improvement.  Entirely 
suspend,  for  this  purpose,  all  worldly  employments,  and 
sacredly  devote  the  day  to  God. 

n. — DUTY    TO  PARENTS. 

You  are  placed  in  the  world  under  the  care  of  parents 
whom  God  makes  his  vicegerents  to  provide  for  your 
early  wants,  and  to  afford  you  protection.  Now,  you 
must  obey  and  honor  them.  Do  what  they  command 
you,  comply  with  their  wishes,  and  always  treat  them 
with  respect  and  affection. 

III. — DUTY  TO  MANKIND. 

Keep  constantly  in  view,  in  all  your  intercourse  with 
men,  their  welfare  and  happiness  as  well  as  your  own. 
Conscientiously  respect  the  rights  of  others,  in  regard — 

1,  To  the  security  of  life. 

2,  To  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the  family. 

3,  To  property. 
4   To  reputation. 


248  CONVERSION. 

In  keeping  these  commands,  too,  jon  must  regulate 
your  heart  as  well  as  your  conduct.  God  forbids  the 
unholy  desire  as  much  as  he  does  the  unholy  action. 

/.  How  beautiful  is  the  law,  and  what  perfect  blessed- 
ness on  earth  would  result  from  its  universal  observance ! 
I  do  not  wonder  that  the  Psalmist  should  exclaim:  "O 
how  love  I  thy  law !  it  is  my  meditation  all  the  day : — 
How  sweet  are  thy  words  unto  my  taste !  yea,  sweeter 
than  honey  to  my  mouth!"  Surely,  God  could  never 
repeal  such  a  law. 

P.  Never;  and  Christ  came  on  purpose  to  restore  and 
enforce  it  in  its  purety. — Matt.  5:17.  In  the  two  tables, 
as  given  by  our  Lord  to  the  lawyer  who  endeavored 
to  ensnare  him  (Matt.  22  :  35 — 40),  all  these  commands 
are  reduced  to  their  fundamental  principles — namely, 
first  to  love  the  Lord  with  all  our  heart,  and  second, 
to  love  our  neighbor  as  ourselves. 

I.  I  supposed  the  second  table  authorized  impenitent 
men,  equally  with  Christians,  to  love  themselves,  pro- 
vided they  loved  others  in  an  equal  degree. 

P.  That  is  impossible.  A  sinner  is  one  who  prefers 
himself;  and  although  he  can  like  others,  he  cannot 
have  a  preference  for  them  at  the  same  time. 

/.  That  is  true. 

P.  And  if  he  could,  it  would  be  unholy ;  for  it  would 
authorize  him  to  prefer  himself  and  other  creatures  to 
God;  which  is  to  put  God  and  his  glory  in  a  subor- 
dinate position  where  he  could  exercise  no  holy  regard 
for  him,  as  we  have  abundantly  seen. 

/.  That  would  be  the  result. 

P.  But  when  the  sinner  is  regenerated,  when  he 
comes   to  prefer    Ood  to  himself,  his  love  to  himself 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  249 

ceases  as  a  preference  and  becomes  subordinate  to  his 
love  to  God.  He  then  loves  himself  for  nobler  reasons, 
and  desires  a  holy  happiness.  Having  taken  this  sec- 
ondary position,  he  can  love  his  neighbor  as  himself, 
and  for  similar  reasons,  both  being  held  subordinate 
to  his  preference  for  God ;  and  he  can  do  him  good  and 
seek  his  holy  welfare  in  reality,  and  with  propriety. 
Then  God  has  the  first  place  and  himself  and  his  neigh- 
bor the  second  in  his  heart,  according  to  the  natural 
relations  in  which  he  stands  to  God  and  man,  and  their 
respective  claims  upon  him. 

/.  This  must  be  so. 

P.  Christ  never  intended  to  authorize  that  wicked 
lawyer  to  make  his  own  selfishness  the  standard  of  his 
piety,  as  your  construction  would  imply.  He  com- 
manded him  first  to  love  God,  which  implied  an  aban- 
donment of  his  selfishness;  and  this  being  assumed  as 
complied  with,  (as  is  common  in  the  Scriptures,)  his  self- 
love  (now  become  subordinate)  was,  secondly^  to  be  made 
the  standard  for  his  love  to  his  neighbor. 

/.  I  perceive  the  correctness  of  your  explanation ;  but 
how  many  sinners  have  been  ruined  in  consequence  of 
a  mistake  as  to  that  standard  I  Such  encouragement 
of  self-love,  must  prove  the  nursery  of  perdition! 

P.  In  your  future  course,  you  must  carefully  cultivate 
the  graces  of  the  Spirit.  Do  not  retain  a  passive  state, 
one  merely  to  be  acted  upon  by  the  Spirit;  but  remem- 
ber that  you  are  to  be  as  active  and  diligent  in  the 
cultivation  of  holy  principles,  feelings  and  deportment, 
as  you  would  be  in  cultivating  those  things  that  pertain 
to  temporal  affairs,  and,  indeed,  more  so.  As,  in  the 
latter  case,  you  would  not  wait  for  the  Spirit,  nor  exon- 


250  CONVERSION. 

erate  yourself  from  blame  for  your  neglects  on  his 
account,  so  you  are  not  authorized  to  do  either  in  the 
former.  The  command  to  believers  is,  "work  out  your 
own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling" — do  it  yourself, 
as  if  all  depended  on  yourself,  but  knowing  that — "it 
is  God  which  worketh  in  you  [by  the  ef&cient  motives 
he  presents]  both  to  will  [to  form  right  purposes]  and 
to  do  [to  execute  them]  of  his  good  pleasure,"  which 
is  always  for  his  own  glory. — Phil.  2 :  12,  13. 

/.  Certainly,  unless  the  graces  are  a  miraculous  gift 
they  must  be  cultivated  by  the  new  heart;  and  even 
if  they  are  so,  they  must  be  cherished,  for  experience 
proves  that  otherwise  they  will  die. 

P.  If  the  glory  of  God  is  of  any  value,  it  is  worth 
every  thing;  and,  as  was  said  by  one  who  acted  upon 
his  conclusion,  it  warrants  and  demands  every  sacrifice 
to  promote  it.  Live  in  view  of  death  and  the  judg- 
ment, and  it  will  enlarge  your  perceptions,  and  render 
you  more  dead  to  the  world  as  well  as  more  determined 
for  God.  Cultivate  humility  of  heart,  meekness  of 
spirit,  kindness  and  good- will  to  man;  restrain  your 
passions,  order  your  conduct  aright,  and  strictly  guard 
against  all  worldly  snares.  Seek  for  religious  society 
and  counsel ;  acknowledge  Christ  before  men ;  and  use 
all  your  influence  in  the  world  for  God.  Establish  a 
closet  for  private  meditation  and  prayer;  set  up  the 
family  altar,  and  upon  it  daily  dedicate  yourself  and 
your  household  to  God;  and,  in  fine,  in  every  feasible 
way  "let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they  may 
see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven." — Matt.  5  :  16. 

/.  I  will  do  so,  Christ  strengthening  me. 


RIGHT    PRINCIPLES.  261 

P.  Be  punctual  in  the  duties  of  public  worship  and 
prayer;  be  careful  to  observe  the  Sabbath,  with  all 
your  house,  abstaining  from  every  thing  which  is  not 
a  work  of  necessary  mercy  on  that  day;  and  by  every 
feasible  means,  seek  to  bring  about  the  conversion  of 
your  household,  your  friends,  the  community  around 
you,  and  the  whole  world,  to  Christ. 

/.  My  mind  is  fixed  on  these  points. 

P.  And  God  will  bless  you  most  abundantly. 

"So  shall  3'our  walk  be  close  with  God, 
Calm  and  serene  your  frame; 
And  heavenly  light  shall  mark  the  road 
That  leads  you  to  the  Lamb." 

/.  May  the  Spirit  guide  and  sustain  me  in  that  de- 
lightful path! 

P.  And  you  should  glorify  Christ  by  exalting  him 
as  your  Saviour  as  well  as  your  Sovereign  Prince. — 
Acts  5 :  31.  I  have  wished  to  present  this  subject  be- 
fore, but  the  course  of  our  examination  prevented. 
Can  you  trust  in  Christ  for  remission  of  your  sins? 

/.  I  am  confident  he  will  do  right,  and  am  perfectly 
willing  to  confide  in  him  on  that  account.  "Though  he 
slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him." — Job  13 :  15.  I  am 
glad  he  reigns  and  that  his  will  will  be  accomplished. 

P.  You  seem  to  have  that  filial,  confiding  spirit  of 
adoption  "whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father!" — Kom.  8: 
15.  It  is  far  better  to  rest  there,  than  to  pursue  a  sys- 
tematic struggle  after  a  mere  hope  of  salvation.  "I 
have  been  forced,"  said  Fletcher,  "by  many  disappoint- 
ments, to  look  for  comfort  in  nothing  but  the  compre- 
hensive words,  THY  WILL  BE  DONE.    A  few  more  trials 


252  CONVEKSION. 

will  convince  yon  experimentally  of  the  heavenly  balm 
they  contain  to  sweeten  the  pains  and  heal  the  wounds 
that  crosses  and  afiiictions  may  canse."  But  it  is  due 
to  Christ,  and  honorable  to  him,  that  the  obedient 
should  make  a  personal  application  of  his  atonement. 

Z  I  am  too  guilty  to  look  for  this.  I  know  not 
whether  he  righteously  can,  or  is  willing  to  receive  me 
to  heaven;  but  I  will  love  and  serve  him  notwith- 
standing. 

P.  We  riiust  take  up  this  subject  in  detail,  in  our 
nex:t  chapter.  In  the  mean  time,  you  will  please  peruse 
the  fourteenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  according  to  John ; 
and  then  in  the  privacy  of  your  closet  review  your 
past  life,  search  out  and  confess  and  forsake  every  par- 
ticular sin,  renew  your  dedication  to  God  without  look- 
ing for  any  miraculous  feelings  or  tokens  in  answer  to 
prayer,  and  seek  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  enable 
you  to  fortify  and  execute  your  intentions  for  God. 
Then  turn  your  thoughts  from  yourself,  and  let  your 
heart  flow  out  upon  a  sinful  and  dying  world,  and  seek 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  its  regeneration.  We  will 
then  proceed  with  the  subject  of  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


ASSURANCE. 


Pastor.  Have  you  complied  with  my  requests  at  the 
close  of  the  preceding  chapter? 

Inquirer.  I  have;  and  now  feel  willing  to  yield  im- 
plicitly to  the  authority  and  commands  of  God.  It  has 
become  the  chief  desire  of  my  heart  to  obey  and  honor 
Christ;  and  the  review  of  my  past  sins  presents  them 
as  increasingly  odious  and  hateful. 

P,  The  exaltation  of  Christ  as  your  Saviour  to  holy 
blessedness  in  the  glory  of  God,  was  the  subject  re- 
served for  examination  at  the  present  time.  The  hope 
of  the  believer,  you  will  observe,  is  of  a  far  different 
moral  character  from  that  of  the  sinner ;  for  it  proceeds 
from  a  loyal  heart,  and  is  directed  toward  objects  honor- 
able to  God.  God  is  the  enemy  of  selfish  happiness 
only;  he  delights  to  confer  that  holy  blessedness  in 
which  his  own  heart  rejoices,  upon  those  "whom  he  hath 
made  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints 
in  light." — Col.  1 :  12.  It  is  fit  that  the  subjects  of  his 
love  should  exercise  due  gratitude  not  only  for  his 
numberless  temporal  mercies,  but  also  for  the  blessings 
of  redemption,  and  for  that  sovereign  grace  which  led 
them  into  the  paths  and  prepared  their  hearts  to  enjoy 
the  beauties  of  holiness. 

-T.  As  I  have  before  intimated,  I  always  supposed 
22 


254  CONVERSION. 

that  religion  consisted  cMeflj  in  a  sense  or  hope  of 
pardon  given  us  from  above ;  and  hence  I  always  strived 
and  prayed  for  ^  hope. 

P.  It  was  natural  for  the  selfish  heart  to  induce  that 
mistake,  since  it  seeks  its  own  security  only,  and  desires 
the  attainment  of  some  evidence  of  it.  But  you'  have 
since  learned  that  Christianity  consists  in  a  supreme 
love  to  God,  evinced  in  the  conformity  of  our  principles, 
affections,  and  conduct  to  those  of  Christ. 

/.  Should  such  a  believer  die  with  no  comforting 
hope  of  a  pardon  through  Christ,  would  he  fail  of  the 
grace  of  God  and  of  eternal  life  ? 

P.  By  no  means;  for  his  new  relation  to  God  as  a 
son  (2  Cor.  6 :  18),  does  not  depend  on  his  possession  of 
a  well-defined  hope,  but  upon  his  having  the  same 
moral  principles,  affections,  and  objects,  as  God.  Not  a 
few  of  the  most  humble,  devoted,  and  self-denying 
Christians  have,  at  such  a  time,  lost  their  hope  through 
the  depressing  influence  of  bodily  disease,  a  view  of  the 
odiousness  of  their  sins,  or  an  ignorance  of  the  true 
basis  on  which  they  were  entitled  to  confide  in  the 
divine  mercy.  Yet  they  have  uniformly  evinced  to 
others  by  their  deep  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
their  lively  interest  in  the  promotion  of  his  kingdom 
on  earth,  that  they  were  the  unconscious  possessors 
of  the  Spirit  of  Adoption  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is 
God's  peculiar  gift  to  his  children. 

7.  I  shall  hereafter  make  a  conformity  to  the  will  of 
God  the  object  of  my  endeavors,  rather  than  the  susten- 
tation  of  a  hope  of  pardon  and  acceptance. 

P.  And  by  so  doing,  and  by  acquiring  clear  views 
of  the  Scriptural  grounds  of  our  acceptance,  you  will 


ASSURANCE.  255 

actually  fortify  your  hope  the  more,  as  will  be  seen  here- 
after. God  never  confers  a  sense  of  pardon  aside  from 
our  own  instrumentality.  He  has  presented,  in  the 
Scriptures,  the  terms  upon  which  he  will  pardon  sinners ; 
these  we  are  to  examine,  and  are  to  compare  our  own 
principles  and  exercises  with  them.  If  they  agree,  we 
are  to  take  Christ  at  his  word  and  draw  the  inference 
for  ourselves;  and  by  such  a  reasonable  conclusion  a 
foundation  will  be  laid  deep  and  strong  in  our  convic- 
tions, enabling  us,  under  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  "have 
boldness  to  enter  into  the  holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus, 
— and  to  draw  near  with  a  true  heart,  in  fiill  assurance 
of  faith."— Heb.  10 :  19.  22.  The  feelings  which  may 
result,  are  such  as  will  flow  spontaneously  from  such  new 
ground  taken  by  the  soul.  As  we  shall  hereafter  show 
more  at  large,  there  is  no  claim  of  merit  either  express 
or  implied,  in  such  well-founded  convictions,  as  the  self- 
ish mind  erroneously  supposes.  Compliance  with  those 
terms  is  a  mere  duty;  the  performance  of  a  duty  cannot 
absolve  one  from  a  previously  deserved  punishment; 
nor  can  it  entitle  him  to  claim  any  recompense  for  the 
future,  for  the  duty  exists  irrespective  of  rewards  or 
punishments,  and  is  to  be  done  in  fulfillment  of  those 
rights  of  the  superior  which  make  it  a  duty. 

/.  Certainly  one  who  is  bound  by  some  obligation, 
can  never  lay  claim  to  a  recompense  for  fulfilling  it. 
But  I  feel  content  to  resign  my  soul  into  the  hands  of 
God,  and  to  be  governed  here  and  hereafter  exclusively 
by  his  righteous  will;  and  I  do  not  see  the  necessity 
of  again  exposing  myself  to  become  selfish,  by  pushing 
this  point  about  a  hope  any  further. 

P.  But  you  need  not  become  selfish  again  by  doing 


256  CONVERSION. 

so;  while  it  is  indispensable  if  you  would  fully  honor 
Christ,  and  guard  yourself  against  future  bad  con- 
sequences. 

I.  Then  I  will  do  as  you  advise. 

P.  You  will  please  propose  inquiries  on  such  subjects 
as  now  appear  most  interesting  or  important  to  you. 

/.  I  will  do  so  with  pleasure.    What  is  regeneration? 

P.  Eegeneration  is  the  act  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  recov- 
ering the  soul  to  holiness,  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  truth. — Jas.  1:18.  The  term  imphes  the  original 
begetting  or  producing  of  holiness  in  the  heart,  in  which 
the  Spirit  takes  the  initiative;  and  is  condemnatory  of 
that  view  which  presents  the  sinner  as  taking  that  posi- 
tion. "Which  were  born,  not  of  blood,  [not  by  natural 
descent  from  Abraham,  as  held  by  the  Pharisees]  nor 
of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  [by  any  purposes  instigated  by 
the  selfish  heart]  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  [of  the  pre- 
purpose  or  power  of  any  human  being]  but  of  God," 
of  his  purpose  and  power. — John  1 :  13. 

I.  Consequently  all  the  praise  and  glory  of  that  work 
belongs  to  him ;  while  it  is  left  to  us  to  cherish  and 
enjoy  its  fruits. 

P.  Yes;  and  also  to  labor  to  bring  others  under  the 
influence  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ. 

L  What  is  conversion  to  God? 

P.  In  a  general  sense,  conversion  implies  a  turning 
from  the  pursuit  of  one  thing  to  that  of  its  opposite; 
or  a  change  from  one  state  to  another.  In  respect  to 
God,  it  intends  that  change  which  consists  in  an  aban- 
donment of  the  pursuit  of  our  selfish  ends,  and  a  turning 
to  God  in  obedience  to  his  authority  and  in  the  pursuit 
of   his  glory  instead.      "Repent,  and  turn   yourselves 


ASSURANCE.  257 

from  all  your  transgressions; — and  turn  unto  the  Lord 
your  God."~-Ez.  18:80;  Joel  2 :  13.  The  first  act  of 
turning  is  known  as  conversion;  while  the  continued 
observance  of  the  new  duties  into  which  it  ushers  the 
soul,  is  called  perseverance  in  holiness. 

I.  I  see  that  I  have  heretofore  been  grossly  mistaken 
in  regard  to  the  motive  influence  in  conversion;  for 
instead  of  the  authority  and  glory  of  God,  I  had  only 
a  desire  and  hope  of  accomplishing  my  own  pardon 
and  acceptance  by  means  of  Christ. 

P.  In  order  to  its  possessing  any  moral  value,  conver- 
sion must  be  an  act  of  duty ;  and  as  we  have  seen,  our 
duty  is  produced  by  the  creative  right  of  God  over  us, — 
a  motive  in  direct  hostility  to  the  sinner's  desire  for  his 
own  ends.  The  obligation  of  duty  can  never  be  ful- 
filled in  morals,  except  as  it  is  entered  upon  from  the 
consideration  which  makes  it  a  duty.  Thus,  if  I  hon- 
estly owed  you  a  sum  of  money,  the  obligation  would 
be  fulfilled  in  law  by  my  paying  the  debt  at  maturity. 
But  if  I  did  it  reluctantly  under  the  constraint  of  a 
threat  of  prosecution,  purposing  to  retain  the  money  if 
I  could,  it  would  not  be  a  fulfillment  of  my  obligation 
in  good  morals.  That  would  be  satisfied  only  by  my  re- 
paying it  because  I  honestly  owed  it;  and  then  it  would 
be  done  readily  (2  Cor.  9 : 7),  and  without  regard  to 
threats  or  fears.  Otherwise,  you  would  justly  pronounce 
me  a  dishonest  and  unreliable  man,  even  though  your 
threats  secured  the  money.  If  God  should  fail  to  de- 
mand such  a  fulfillment  of  our  obligations,  it  would 
be  unjust  to  good  morals,  and  consequently  to  himself 
and  his  government;  while,  if  he  should  require  more 
it  would  not  be  just  toward  us,  since  they  already  em- 
22^ 


258  CONVERSION. 

brace  all  that  we  can  do.  Consequently  in  the  observ- 
ance of  his  commands,  we  must  be  governed  by  a  sense 
of  duty  to  him. 

L  Undoubtedly  conversion  to  God  is  an  act  of  duty ; 
and  as  such,  it  must  be  done  in  view  of  the  creative 
rights  of  God  over  us. 

P.  And  we  can  enter  upon  the  observance  of  our 
duty  to  God  under  that  motive,  only  by  means  of  some 
resolution  of  the  will  which  is  prompted  thereby. 

/.  Of  course,  since  it  is  by  some  free  act  of  volition 
that  the  will  always  directs  our  conduct. 

P.  As  the  resolutions  of  the  impenitent  will  are 
always  produced  by  the  influence  of  a  predominant 
desire  of  happiness,  it  will  be  impossible  to  accomplish 
a  moral  change  therein  so  long  as  such  desires  retain 
their  control. 

/.  So  I  have  discovered  by  my  own  experience. 

P.  In  order,  therefore,  to  a  proper  action  of  the  will 
toward  God,  it  is  indispensable,  in  the  first  instance,  that 
the  influence  of  such  desires  be  suspended,  at  least  for 
the  time  being.  It  is  only  when  their  motive  power  is 
destroyed,  that  the  will  can  become  liberated  from  their 
domination. 

/.  True ;  but  how  is  this  to  be  accomplished  ? 

P.  It  cannot  be  effected  by  eradicating  the  desire  of 
happiness;  for  that  is  a  constitutional  propensity,  per- 
verted indeed,  but  indestructible  as  the  soul  itself 
You  will  remember  that  we  saw  at  the  commencement, 
that  it  was  the  hope  of  succeeding  which  gave  to  the 
desires  for  an  object  all  their  motive  influence;  and  that 
when  this  was  destroyed,  the  desires  would   exert  no 


ASSUKANCE.  259 

impulsive  power  over  the  voluntary  conduct  where  the 
person  was  not  under  actual  punishment. 

/.  We  saw  this  principle  developed  in  the  case  of  0.^ 
who  ceased  his  resolutions  and  efforts  to  assist  P.  in 
extinguishing  the  fire  at  his  house,  when  he  lost  his 
expectation  of  securing  the  desired  reward. 

P.  On  the  same  principle,  the  sinner  must  be  con- 
vinced that  he  cannot  secure  the  happiness  which  he 
desires.  Then  his  hope  of  success  will  be  destroyed, 
and  with  it  the  stimulant  to  exertion  for  that  selfish  end; 
for,  as  we  have  seen,  no  person  under  the  influence  of 
reason  will  voluntarily  attempt  an  object  which  he  is 
perfectly  convinced  is  beyond  his  reach. 

/.  That  was  precisely  the  position  which  I  reached 
in  respect  to  my  own  safety  and  peace. 

P,  Whether  this  conviction  is  produced  by  arguments 
with  accompanying  experiments  in  proof  of  their  valid- 
ity, as  has  been  done  in  the  preceding  pages;  or  whether 
it  is  produced  more  blindly  by  the  repeated  failure  of 
long-continued  efforts  for  an  evidence  of  safety,  as  is 
the  case  under  the  ordinary  preaching  of  the  gospel; 
still,  it  is  attended  with  an  entire  despondency  of  mind. 
This  is  significantly  expressed  by  the  apostle:  "Sin  re- 
vived, and  J  G?zec?"  [to  the  pursuit  of  myself]. — Eom.  7 :  9. 

/.  I  well  know,  from  recent  experience,  what  is  that 
dejection  of  spirits  and  loss  of  courage  in  view  of  the 
insuperable  difficulties  that  were  presented  to  my  suc- 
cess in  selfishness;  it  was  such  a  failure  of  hope  that 
made  me  abandon  its  pursuit  as  utterly  useless. 

P.  Our  Lord,  in  giving  an  outline  of  true  conversion, 
laid  down  three  fundamental  principles  as  indispensable 
thereto.     The  first  is  this:  "K  any  man  will  come  after 


260  CONVEESION. 

me,  [after  Christy  not  after  his  own  selfish  ends  through 
him]  let  him  deny  himself^ — Mark  8 :  34.  To  deny, 
means  to  renounce,  overlook,  disown,  and  turn  entirely 
away  fi-om  the  pursuit  of  a  thing;  and  for  the  sinner  to 
deny  himself,  is  to  withhold  all  pursuit  of  his  selfish 
happiness  and  interests.  It  is,  for  example,  no  denial 
of  self^  for  the  inebriate  to  abandon  his  cups,  at  whatever 
sacrifice  of  feeling,  for  the  sake  of  his  own  ulterior 
health,  happiness  or  property ;  for,  in  such  case,  he  grat- 
ifies himself  *in  respect  to  the  more  important  particulars, 
at  the  expense  of  some  mortification  in  respect  to  the 
less  important.  And  so  it  is  no  denial  of  himself  for 
the  sinner  to  submit  to  painful  mortifications  for  the  sake 
of  some  ulterior  personal  advantage.  It  is  rather  a 
gratification  of  himself  in  the  most  important  points, 
and  the  degree  of  his  mortifications  proves  the  higher 
estimate  he  places  upon  them.  If  we  suppose  a  person, 
impelled  by  strong  desires,  to  be  traveling  southward 
while  his  business  would  call  him  northward,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  he  must  entirely  suspend  his  movements 
southward  by  denying  his  desires  in  the  sense  of  entirely 
rejecting  their  influence,  before  he  can  turn  about  and 
guide  his  steps  in  the  northern  direction;  and  in  like 
manner,  the  sinner  must  suspend  his  efforts  for  his  own 
happiness  by  so  denying  his  desires,  before  he  can  turn 
about  and  direct  his  steps  in  the  opposite  moral  direc- 
tion. You  will  observe  that  after  the  soul  is  converted, 
the  desire  of  happiness  will  again  put  forth  its  impulses; 
but  it  will  cease  to  be  a  selfish  influence  because  it  will 
act  subordinately  to  the  authority,  and  subserviently  to 
the  glory  of  God,  and  the  happiness  which  it  will  then 
contemplate  will  not  be  independent  of  him,  but  will  be 


ASSURANCE.  261 

taken  in  him,  his  service  and  glory,  which  will  stamp  it 
virtuous  and  holy.  In  that  aspect,  the  desire  need  not 
be  denied. 

/.  The  reason  for  requiring  self-denial  of  the  sinner 
is  very  obvious. 

P.  And  it  is  a  primary  object  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in 
his  convicting  energies  through  the  truth,  to  induce  this 
very  act  of  self-renunciation.  "He  openeth  the  ears  of 
men,  and  sealeth  their  instruction,  that  he  may  with- 
draw man  from  his  [selfish]  purpose,  and  hide  pride 
[inordinate  self-regard,  or  selfishness]  from  man." — Job 
83  :  16,  17.  To  accomplish  this,  "he  reproves  the  world 
of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment"  (John 
16 :  8) ;  he  convinces  sinners  of  the  rightful  claims  of 
God  over  them;  of  their  sinfulness  in  disregarding  his 
commands;  and  of  the  certainty  of  their  damnation 
therefor,  as  sinners.  As  soon  as  the  sinner  becomes  thus 
convinced  that  his  efforts  to  escape  will  be  unavailing, 
he  will  suspend  them,  and  liot  before. 

/.  I  had  not  noticed  this  peculiar  harmony  between 
the  command  of  Christ  and  the  influences  of  the  Spirit. 

P.  But  the  actual  result  is  also  in  harmony  with  both. 
You  can  observe  in  your  own  case,  that  by  a  process  of 
convincing  argument  enforced  by  experiments,  you  be- 
come persuaded  that  success  in  securing  the  happiness 
you  desired  was  impossible.  You  accordingly  despond- 
ed; and  at  last,  when  that  final  resolution  not  to  oppose 
God  in  recalling  your  life  was  proposed,  you  abandoned, 
as  utterly  useless,  all  attempts  in  favor  of  your  own 
safety  and  peace,  and  overlooked  and  even  forgot  your- 
self, in  your  response  to  it.  In  that  process  the  power 
of  your  desires  was  suspended,  and  you  denied  yourself. 


262  CONVERSION. 

/.  I  see  it  now  clearly.  Although  my  desire  of  hap- 
piness remained,  its  motive  influence  over  my  purposes 
was  then  as  completely  suspended  as  if  the  desire  itself 
had  been  eradicated.  Its  disappointment  produced  all 
the  trouble  of  my  despondency ;  but  it  exerted  no  in- 
fluence toward  any  relief  from  it. 

P.  And  thus  you  became  released  from  the  motive 
power  of  the  selfish  desires;  and  your  mind,  for  the 
first  time  in  your  existence,  was  in  a  position  to  re- 
solve and  act  independently  of  them,  and  in  view  of 
any  other  sufiicient  external  motive  which  should  be 
presented  under  the  dictates  of  your  conscience.  And, 
as  you  are  aware,  the  impulse  of  the  conscience  is  never 
impregnated  with  desire,  but  is  purely  persuasive  and 
mandatory? 

/.  And  by  such  a  release  the  recuperative  power  of 
my  moral  constitution  was  developed  or  restored? 

P.  Yes.  The  removal  of  this  obstacle  to  the  suprem- 
acy of  your  conscience  left  you  free  to  act  under  a  sense 
of  duty,  or,  which  is  the  same  thing,  under  the  moni- 
tions of  conscience  that  you  ought  and  must  obey. 

/.  I  always  doubted  whether  one  could  thus  suspend 
all  action  for  himself  because  I  had  never  done  it,  but 
I  can  doubt  no  more.  Still,  I  would  not  have  done  it 
could  it  have  been  avoided ;  and  being  such  a  reluctant 
act,  there  could  be  no  virtue  in  it. 

P.  There  was  no  moral  goodness  whatever  in  the  act 
of  suspending  your  selfish  resolutions.  You  might,  as 
many  others  have  done,  have  resumed  your  selfish  ex- 
pedients under  some  false  encouragement.  Some  are  so 
determined,  that  they  will  not  refrain  from  them  even 
for  the  purpose  of  seeking  God  the  rather.     And  had 


ASSURANCE.  263 

» 

not  the  Spirit,  by  means  of  the  truth  and  your  vain 
expedients,  withdrawn  you  from  the  purpose  to  effect 
your  selfish  ends,  your  deceitful  heart  would  have  pre- 
vailed in  the  same  manner. 

/.  As  all  my  inclinations  were  opposed  to  that  step,  it 
must  have  been  produced  through  his  power,  of  course. 
But  I  was  far  from  depending  upon  the  Spirit  for  such 
a  hindrance,  and,  indeed,  was  averse  to  it. 

P.  The  Spirit  always  acts  in  opposition  to  the  desires 
of  sinners,  and  they  are  in  fact  opposed  to  every  thing 
he  contemplates  in  reference  to  them,  whatever  may  be 
their  pretensions  of  dependence  on  him.  They  never 
either  desire  or  depend  on  him  for  the  things  he  pur- 
poses, until  after  their  hearts  are,  by  regeneration,  de- 
voted to  his  rule.  Then  they  will  bless  him  for  the 
adverse  conquering  power  which  he  exercised  over  their 
selfish  inclinations  and  purposes. 

/.  I  always  believed  it  was  wrong  to  despond. 

P.  That  depends  on  what  we  despond  about.  To 
despond  of  success  in  an  impracticable  thing,  is  rea- 
sonable, and  to  despond  of  a  wicked  thing,  is  proper; 
while  to  despond  of  a  good  and  attainable  object,  is 
both  improper  and  unreasonable.  Your  heart  was  fixed 
upon  a  wicked  and  unattainable,  because  a  selfish,  ob- 
ject; and  hence  it  was  reasonable  and  proper  that  you 
should  despond  of  it.  Christians  often  despond  of  the 
grace  and  glory  of  God;  and  this  is  unreasonable  and 
improper,  because  they  are  both  open  to  them  and  are 
holy.  The  fact  that  despondency  sometimes  runs  into 
painful  despair,  neither  affects  its  propriety  nor  necessity 
in  the  case  of  the  sinner;  while  such  a  perversion  in 
the  Christian  is  not  only  unjustifiable,  but  is  censurable 


264  CONVERSION. 

in  that  it  evinces  great  distrust  of  Christ,  The  fact  that 
despondency  tends  to  arrest  the  efforts  of  the  sinner, 
instead  of  being  an  objection,  is  the  very  reason  for 
which  it  is  valuable:  for,  as  we  have  seen,  his  steps 
toward  selfishness  must  be  arrested  before  he  can  turn 
to  holiness.  The  sinner  is  at  first  aroused  to  seek  his 
own  salvation  by  considerations  of  self-interest.  The 
terrors  of  the  law  produce  them  in  his  selfish  heart; 
and  in  his  efforts,  his  conscience  becomes  enlightened 
in  respect  to  the  claims  of  God,  his  own  duty,  his  sin- 
fulness, and  his  dreadful  prospects;  so  that  when  he 
reaches  the  point  of  self-denial,  his  conscience  has  ac- 
quired power  to  withhold  him  from  fleeing  back  to 
worldliness.  His  very  anxiety  makes  him  averse  to 
doing  so;  while  the  Holy  Spirit  who  has  brought  him 
to  that  point  will  hold  him  there,  as  multitudes  can 
testify  who  have  remained  on  the  verge  of  self-denial 
for  months  and  years  before  they  repented.  But  even 
if  such  a  danger  of  relapse  existed,  there  is  no  help  for 
it ;  for  the  sinner  must  deny  himself  here,  or  be  damned 
hereafter.  As  a  fact,  however,  it  is  those  convicted 
sinners  who  have  not  reached  that  point,  those  who 
have  been  falsely  encouraged  and  who  have  prematurely 
hoped  for  pardon  in  Christ,  that  apostatize  from  their 
profession.  They  have  no  root  in  them;  and  to  sustain 
their  own  selfish  eternal  prospects  they  flee  to  all  man- 
ner of  error,  seducing  and  being  seduced,  deceiving  and 
being  deceived,  and  waxing  worse  and  worse. — 2  Tim. 
3 :  13.  When  the  Christian  desponds,  he  loses  his 
strength  (Neh.  8:10);  and  to  him  God  speaks:  "Who 
is  among  yoii  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  the 
voice  of  his  servant,  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  hath 


ASSURANCE.  265 

no  light?  let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
stay  upon  his  God." — Is.  50 :  10. 

/.  My  aversion  to  despondency  perverted  my  views. 

P.  But  self-denial  is  only  preliminary  to  conversion. 
It  releases  the  will  from  the  power  of  the  selfish  desires, 
but  does  not  turn  it  to  God.  A  second  fundamental 
principle  in  the  process  of  conversion  laid  down  by 
Christ,  is  this :  *•  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himself, — and  follow  Tne."  We  follow  one  by 
acknowledging  and  obeying  his  authority,  and  by  imi- 
tating his  example  in  compliance  therewith.  To  follow 
Christ,  therefore,  is  to  acknowledge  him  to  be  the  Son 
of  God  (1  John  4 :  15),  who  administers  the  executive 
power  of  the  divine  government  over  the  world  (Matt. 
28 :  18;  and  1  Cor.  15 :  24,  25),  and  to  obey  him  as*such, 
imitating  his  principles,  adhering  to  his  doctrines,  and 
observing  his  examples.  In  order  to  enter  upon  such 
obedience,  there  must  first  be  a  resolution  of  the  will  to 
obey  prompted  by  the  idea  of  his  creative  right  to 
exercise  authority  over  us. 

/.  I  understand  you  perfectly. 

P.  In  your  own  case,  when  your  mind  had  become 
released  from  the  motive  power  of  the  selfish  desires, 
and  when  you  had  suspended  all  resolutions  and  exper- 
iments in  favor  of  your  own  safety  and  happiness,  the 
sentiment  that  you  ought  not  to  oppose  God  in  recalling 
your  life  induced  you  to  resolve  that  you  would  not? 

/.  Yes ;  as  I  have  observed,  I  perceived  it  would  be 
wrong  toward  him  as  my  Creator,  to  do  so,  and  I  con- 
cluded that  I  would  not. 

P.  That  resolution  was  the  act  of  "following  Christ  f 
it  was  the  first  act  in  ftdfillment  of  your  obligations  in 
23 


266  CONVERSION. 

motive  as  well  as  iu  2^^^''^P^s^  i  ^^^^j  consequently,  it  wad 
conversion  to  him.  A  change  was  then  effected  in  both 
your  motives  and  resolutions,  in  favor  of  God.  The 
external  idea  of  the  right  of  God  over  your  life,  pro- 
duced an  internal  impression  that  you  ought  not  and 
must  not  oppose  him,  under  which  you  yielded  to  his 
will.  The  conscience  when  duly  enlightened  acts  as 
God's  vicegerent  in  the  soul.  Having  thus  acquired  the 
predominancy  over  the  will  for  God,  it  proceeded  to 
hold  all  your  appetites,  propensities,  and  other  powers 
in  subordination  to  him.  It  smiled  in  approbation  of 
your  submission,  and  gave  you  peace.  It  will  always 
encourage  your  soul  in  holy  obedience;  and  when  you 
fall  under  temptation,  it  will  rebuke  and  dissuade  until 
you  repent,  when  it  will  again  approve,  seeking,  as  it 
were,  to  heal  the  wounds  it  has  inflicted. 

/.  For  some  reason  not  clear  to  me  at  present,  I  have 
never  before  appreciated  the  influence  of  the  conscience, 
but  have  feared  to  act  under  its  constraints. 

P.  You  never  before  appreciated  it,  because  you 
never  had  experienced  its  mild  but  powerful  domination. 
You  disliked  it,  because  it  always  reproved  your  sins ; 
and  you  feared  its  influence,  because  it  had  always  be- 
fore been  a  coercive  one,  under  which  you  had  been 
driven  to  things  which  you  still  disliked.  You  had 
always  acted  from  remorse  or  fears  of  conscience,  which 
you,  as  well  as  all  other  sinners,  mistook  for  its  ;persua- 
sions.  Your  fears,  your  dread  of  provoking  its  rebukes, 
and  the  like,  produced  a  constrained  service  which  you 
felt  could  not, be  acceptable.  But  such  is  not  the  pure 
influence  of  the  conscience  itself  The  Scriptures  pre- 
sent the  conscience,  when  enlightened  by  divine  revela- 


ASSURANCE.  267 

tion,  as  the  moral  guide  of  the  soul;  the  apostle  re- 
joiced in  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience  (2  Cor.  1 : 
12);  and  it  was  his  constant  elfort  "to  have  always 
a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God  and  toward 
men."  —Acts  24 :  16 ;  2  Tim.  1 :  3. 

I.  My  own  experience  now  exhibits  the  difference 
between  acting  reluctantly  from  remorse  of  conscience, 
or  the  fears  it  produces,  and  freely  from  its  mandates  or 
persuasions.  But  I  did  not  look  upon  the  act  of  resolv- 
ing not  to  oppose  God,  as  being  conversion.    - 

P.  Your  ignorance  of  its  moral  character  did  not 
alter  that  fact;  whereas,  had  you  supposed  it  would 
have  been  such,  the  expectation  of  succeeding  by  means 
of  it  would  have  been  excited,  and  would  have  kept 
you  selfish  and  nnade  the  act  a  failure.  Thus,  there 
is  a  good  reason  why  God  should  lead  the  bUnd  by  a 
way  they  know  not. — Is.  42 :  16.  It  would  have  been 
worse  than  in  vain  to  have  explained  its  character  be- 
forehand, for  you  could  not  have  understood  it,  being 
destitute  of  all  experience  on  the  subject,  and  it  would 
have  revived  the  power  of  your  selfish  desires  under 
the  supposed  discovery  of  the  right  way  to  succeed. 

/.  I  see  the  philosophy  of  that  course,  and  now  un- 
derstand better  the  mental  process  through  which  I 
passed.  My  mind  was  so  intent  on  the  facts  and  argu- 
ments presented,  that  I  did  not  watch  its  action  under 
them.  But  in  that  final  resolution  not  to  oppose  God  in 
recalling  my  life,  I  was  actuated  by  no  desire  or  love  for 
him.  Indeed,  it  was  so  cold  and  simple  a  conclusion 
that  I  placed  no  dependence  upon  it,  and  hardly  re- 
garded it  as  a  resolution. 

P.  I  perceive  that  you  are  still  looking  at  the  subject 


268  CONVERSION. 

through  the  selfish  medium  to  which  you  have  been  so 
long  accustomed,  but  which  should  now  be  corrected. 
You  acted  both  voluntarily  and  freely  in  coming  to  that 
conclusion  ? 

/.  Perfectly  so. 

P.  You  could  not  have  any  desires  for  God  heforehand^ 
because  all  you  had  terminated  upon  yourself;  and  so 
you  could  not  then  have  been  actuated  by  any. 

/.  That  is  true;  and  I  see  that  it  was  my  selfish 
desires  which  I  endeavored  to  excite  beforehand. 

P.  You  could  not  have  resolved  with  any  (xccom- 
panying  desires  for  God,  because  you  had  none  to  take 
along  with  you. 

/  That  is  evidently  so. 

P.  It  is  preposterous  to  suppose  that  any  sinner  can 
be  willing  or  desire  to  have  God  rule  over  him,  until 
after  he  has  consented  to  his  rule.  By  the  act  of  con- 
senting not  to  oppose  him,  you  became  willing ;  so  that 
when  the  question  was  presented  suhseqiwntly^  Whether 
3^ou  would  obey  God  since  it  was  his  right, — ^you  acted 
from  a  willing  state  of  mind  in  view  of  such  right. 

/.  Yes.  I  now  perceive  that  I  had  become  willing 
toward  God  generally,  in  consequence  of  my  previous 
consent  not  to  oppose  him  in  opposition  to  his  right. 

P.  You  had  before  been  accustomed  to  act  on  subjects 
where  desires  already  existed,  and  consequently  were 
influenced  by  them ;  but  this  was  one  of  an  entirely 
new  order  in  reference  to  which  you  had  no  favorable 
desires,  and  you  were  under  the  necessity  of  acting  from 
a  mere  sentiment  of  duty  urged  by  the  conscience. 

/.  So  I  perceive.  But  is  such  a  simple  and  cold 
resolution,  even  though  conscientious,  sufl&cient? 


ASbUllANLE,  269 

P,  Since  you  could  not  produce  one  from  vehement 
emotions,  it  must  be  sufficient.  But  every  resolution  is, 
in  its  own  nature,  a  cold  and  unimpassioned  act,  what- 
ever may  be  the  subject  or  whatever  may  be  the  attend- 
ing feelings;  and  it  is  because  they  fail  to  discriminate 
between  the  antecedents  and  the  volition  produced,  that 
any  entertain  a  different  opinion.  Professor  Upham 
remarks,  "It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  volitions  may 
have  aroused  and  excited  antecedents,  and  may  thus  be 
closely  connected  with  the  various  affections;  but  in 
themselves  they  are  cold  and  unimpassioned;  they  are 
purely  executive  and  mandatory,  and  are  as  obviously 
free  from  any  actual  impregnation  of  appetite,  sentiment, 
or  desire,  as  the  most  abstract  and  callous  exercises  of 
the  intellect." — Upham's  Men.  Phi.  vol.  i.  Intro,  ch.  4. 
§  30.  Thus,  if  you  desire  ever  so  much  to  visit  a  be- 
loved friend,  the  resolution  to  do  so  will  be  a  simple  and 
cold  act,  one  merely  executive  or  directory,  although 
the  excitements  of  your  desires  might  conceal  it  from 
your  view,  and  when  superficially  observed  it  might 
seem  to  partake  of  their  vehemence. 

/.  I  see  that  I  have  fallen  into  the  common  error  of 
failing  to  discriminate  properly  on  this  subject.  But  is 
there  any  moral  value  in  such  a  resolution  as  mine? 

P.  Yes ;  for  it  partook  of  the  character  of  the  motive 
which  prompted  it ;  and  that  being  holy,  the  resolution 
was  holy  also.  Tlius,  should  you  consent  to  do  an  act 
which  would  defraud  another,  the  simple  consent  would 
stamp  your  character  as  vicious  because  of  the  vicious- 
ness  of  your  motive  or  object.  In  deciding  thus,  no 
reference  would  be  had  to  any  intervening  feelings,  nor 
indeed  would  men  inquire  whether  you  had  any.  And 
23^ 


270  CONVERSION. 

if  you  should  conscientiously  refuse^  a  virtuous  character 
would  attach  to  you  for  the  same  reason.  The  Scriptures 
require  our  offering  to  be  the  act  of  our  own,  or  free  and 
voluntary  will. — Lev.  1:3.  Of  the  Corinthians  it  is  said, 
"they  first  gave  their  oiu7iselves  to  the  Lord." — 2  Cor. 8: 5. 

I.  But  what  coniiection  has  such  a  simple  resolution 
(which  I  had  almost  mistaken  for  a  mere  assent  of  the 
understanding,  as  it  was  so  different  from  what  I  had 
anticipated)  with  my  subsequent  exercises? 

P.  In  connection  with  your  observation  of  truth,  it 
was  the  origin  or  source  of  all  your  new  desires  and 
affections  on  religion.  By  so  consenting  not  to  oppose 
God  in  respect  to  your  life,  you  adopted,  under  the 
Spirit,  his  creative  authority  as  a  supreme  motive  influ- 
ence ;  so  that,  when  the  idea  of  his  right  to  your  service 
was  afterwards  presented,  it  spontaneously  influenced 
you  to  enter  upon  it;  and  the  same  idea  has  ever  since 
exercised  a  controlling  influence  over  your  purposes, 
and  has  constantly  disposed  your  mind  to  -obey  him. 
This  is  one  important  result  of  that  volition. 

I.  I  can  see  it  clearly. ' 

P.  It  also  placed  your  will  in  a  new  and  favorable 
state  toward  God;  that  is,  it  produced  a  good-will  toward 
him  in  view  of  his  rights. 

L  It  did. 

P.  It  also  produced  a  good- will  to  aU  his  commands, 
and  to  every  thing  you  percoive  to  be  right;  for  the 
resolution  of  the  will  was  substantially  to  do  right,  since 
God  had  a  legal  authority  to  command  it. 

/.  You  are  Correct. 

P.  As  soon  as  you  paused  to  reflect  upon  the  rights 
of  God,  his  sovereignty  for  example,  good-will  thereto 


ASSUKANCE.  271 

and  desires  for  the  stability  and  extension  of  his  govern- 
ment over  mankind,  arose  spontaneously. 

L  They  did 

P.  When  you  contemplated  the  righteousness  of  his 
character,  such  good- will  excited  love  to  him  therefor; 
and  as  the  beauties  of  that  character  glowed  before  your 
mind,  a  love  to  his  glory  and  a  strong  desire  to  promote 
it  as  the  chief  moral  good  (Ps.  4 : 6),  resulted  in  your 
heart. 

/.  Such  was  the  train  of  my  exercises. 

P.  Ill-will  to  every  thing  opposed  to  the  rights  and 
will  of  God  and  to  righteousness  in  general,  was  the 
necessary  result  of  such  good-will  to  God.  Accordingly, 
when  you  reflected  upon  your  past  selfishness  of  heart 
and  sins  of  life,  an  intense  ill-will  and  regret  were  ex- 
cited against  them,  and  self-hatred,  producing  purposes 
to  avoid  all  sin.  The  view  of  the  character  and  conduct 
of  sinners  produced  similar  feelings  toward  them,  with 
desires  for  their  conversion  from  sin.  And  again,  the 
coincidence  of  the  character  of  Christians  with  Christ, 
excited  your  good-will  toward  them;  and  your  duties 
were  prized  as  means  of  gratifying  good-will  to  God. 

/.  I  can  now  clearly  see  that  the  good-will  for  God 
produced  by  that  final  resolution,  originated  all  my  sub- 
sequent new  exercises. 

P.  And  it  was  the  new  heart  in  its  primitive  form. 

/.  Indeed !     Pray  explain  this  point. 

P.  The  heart  is  so  called  from  the  fleshly  organ  of 
the  body,  which,  by  its  pulsations,  sends  the  blood,  and 
with  it  life,  to  every  part.  In  its  spiritual  sense,  the 
heart  is  the  will  in  exercise^  sending  its  influences  for 
good   or  evil   through  the  whole   moral  system.     The 


272  CONVERSION. 

selfish  heart  is  the  will  exercised  in  favor  of  self^  its 
appetites,  passions,  and  pleasures.  The  holy  heart  is 
the  will  exercised  for  God  and  his  glory.  President 
Edwards  observes,  "The  will  and  affections  of  the  soul 
are  not  two  faculties;  the  affections  are  not  essentially 
distinct  from  the  will;  nor  do  they  differ  from  the  mere 
acting  of  the  will  or  its  inclinations,  but  only  in  the 
liveliness  and  sensibilitiy  of  their  exercise." — On  the 
Affections.  Pt.  I.  §  1. 

I.  Is  this  view  sustained  by  the  Scriptures  ? 

P.  Abundantly;  and  on  so  important  a  subject  we 
should  rely  on  nothing  short  of  revelation.  We  shall 
there  find  that  the  requirement  of  the  hearts  of  men  is 
answered  by  the  action  of  the  will  in  each  of  its  various 
states ;  which  will  prove  that  the  favorable  action  of  the 
will  is  that  which  God  demands.  1,  The  Scriptures 
receive  the  action  of  the  will  in  the  form  of  a  purpose, 
resolution,  determination,  or  other  simple  volition,  as 
being  the  heart.  "My  days  are  past,  my  purposes  are 
broken  off,  even  the  thoughts  of  my  heart.^^ — Job  17 :  11. 
"And  exhorted  them  all,  that  ^Yith.  purpose  of  heart  they 
would  cleave  unto  the  Lord." — Acts  11 :  28.  "Nay,  but 
we  will  serve  the  Lord." — Josh.  24 :  21.  2,  They  also 
recognize  the  will  in  its  state  of  willingness,  as  being 
the  heart.  "Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day 
of  thy  power." — Ps.  110:3.  "Whosoever  is  of  a  will- 
ing heart,  let  him  bring  it,  an  offering  of  the  Lord." — Ex. 
35:5.  3,  They  recognize  the  will  in  its  more  lively 
state  of  inclinations  or  desires,  as  the  heart.  "There  is 
none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee." — Ps.  73 : 
25.  "Delight  thyself  also  in  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  give 
thee  the  desires  of  thy  heart." — Ps.  37 :  4.     4,  They  also 


ASSURANCE.  273 

recognize  as  the  heart,  that  fixed  state  of  the  will  seen 
in  a  predominant  disposition.  "O  God,  my  heart  is 
j\xedr — Ps.  108:1.  "The  disposi7igs  of  the  heart  of 
man  is  of  the  Lord." — Prov.  16:1,  in  the  margin.  5, 
They  recognize  that  still  more  lively  state  of  the  wiU  as 
seen  in  love,  as  the  heart.  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God  with  all  thy  heart."— Matt.  22 :  37.  6,  They 
also  speak  of  pleasurable  emotions  when  connected 
with  and  evincive  of  desires,  as  the  heart.  "The  Lord 
taketh pleasure  in  them  that  fear  him." — Ps.  147 :  11.  "I 
have  no  pleasure  in  you,  saith  the  Lord." — Mai.  1 :  10. 
''Delight  thyself  also  in  the  Lord."— Ps.  87:  4. 

/.  The  bent  of  the  soul  on  God,  is  what  he  requires; 
and  this  is  the  new  heart,  under  whatever  more  or  less 
sensitive  aspects  it  may  occur? 

P.  That  is  it  precisely ;  only,  inasmuch  as  he  is  enti- 
tled to  the  whole  bent  of  it,  he  rightfully  demands  all 
our  purposes  not  only,  but  all  our  inclinations,  desires, 
affections,  and  emotions,  for  himself.  In  the  first  holy 
act  of  the  sinner  toward  God^  a  simple  resolution  of  the 
will  must  take  place,  because  that  form  of  the  heart 
precedes  the  others  in  the  nature  of  things,  and  origin- 
ates, as  we  have  seen,  the  good-will  from  which  they 
proceed.  When  the  soul  is  thus  turned  toward  God,  as 
the  moral  excellence  and  glory  of  his  character  is  more 
clearly  perceived  it  increases  its  attachment  to  him, 
until  the  mere  sense  of  plighted  faith  and  allegiance  is 
absorbed  in  a  grateful  and  affectionate  devotion.  Con- 
science still  acting  as  the  guide  in  duty,  the  soul  is 
attracted  along  its  paths  by  holy  love,  thus  "working 
by  love." — Gal.  5 :  6.  When,  for  any  reason,  the  incli- 
nations  do   not  promptly  move   the  soul  in  favor  of 


274  CONVEKSION. 

some  perceived  duty,  conscience  assumes  tlie  reins  and 
issues  its  mandate;  the  will  then  purposes  that  duty; 
the  inclinations  of  the  will  are  revived;  and  then  the 
soul  proceeds  to  execute  it  both  from  conscience,  and 
inclination  or  love.  In  this  view,  how  important  it  is  to 
keep  your  conscience  properly  enlightened,  by  a  constant 
and  careful  attention  to  the  Scriptures;  and  active,  by 
a  wise  use  of  your  leisure  hours  in  meditation  upon 
the  claims  of  God  and  your  own  duties. 

/.  It  is  important  indeed. 

P.  Let  us  proceed.  The  Scriptures  recognize  such  a 
change  in  our  motive  and  purpose  as  a  turning  to  the 
Lord,  or  conversion.  This  can  be  abundantly  seen  from 
the  passages  just  cited  in  respect  to  the  heart.  It  can 
be  seen  also  from  the  following  passages,  among  others: 
"Seek  ye  the  Lord  [not  yourselves]  while  he  may  be 
found,  call  ye  upon  hinn  while  he  is  near:  Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  way,  [his  course  of  sinful  conduct] 
and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts,  [his  unrighteous 
or  selfish  motives  and  purposes']  and  let  him  return  [turn 
away  from  them]  unto  the  Lord,  and  [then]  he  will 
have  mercy  upon  him.  For  my  thoughts  [motives  and 
intentions]  are  not  your  thoughts,  [in  respect  to  their 
moral  character]  neither  are  your  ways  [courses  of 
conduct]  my  ways,  saith  the  Lord.  For  as  the  heavens 
are  higher  than  the  earth  [in  altitude]  so  are  my  ways 
higher  [more  morally  exalted]  than  your  ways,  and  my 
thoughts  than  your  thoughts." — Is.  55  :  6 — 9.  In  the 
days  of  Joshua,  the  people,  in  view  of  the  benefactions 
and  anticipated  pardon  and  favors  of  God,  resolved  to 
serve  him:  "therefore  will  we  serve  the  Lord,  for  he  is 
our  God."     There  was  no  self-denial  and  therefore  no 


ASSURANCE.  275 

holiness  in  sucli  purposes;  which  Joshua  was  prompt  to 
avow.  "Ye  cannot  serve  the  ZorfZ  [being  still  devoted 
to  yourselves]^  for  he  is  a  holy  God  [requires  holy  mo- 
tives and  purposes] ;  he  is  a  jealous  God  [solicitous  to 
defend  his  rights  and  glory] ;  he  will  not  forgive  your 
transgressions  nor  your  sins"  [for  you  are  still  selfish]. 
Cut  off  thus  from  their  plans,  they  renounced  selfishness 
by  abandoning  themselves,  saying:  "Nay,  [notwith- 
standing he  may  not  forgive  us]  but  [still]  we  will  serve 
the  Lordy  Joshua  here  recognized  a  new  motive  and  a 
holy  intention,  and  he  accepted  these  first  resolutions  as 
conversion.  "And  Joshua  said  unto  the  people,  ye  are 
witnesses  against  YOURSELVES  that  ye  have  chosen  you 
[have  brought  yourselves  into  united  action  with]  the 
Lord,  to  serve  him.  And  they  said,  We  are  witnesses." 
He  then  proceeded  to  make  known  their  duties,  and  set 
up  a  monument  as  a  testimonial  of  their  covenant  and 
conversion. — Josh.  24 :  17 — 27. 

/.  I  have  been  much  perplexed  on  a  point  which  is 
now  clear  to  my  mind.  The  resolutions  to  serve  God 
formed  by  careless  sinners  do  not  accomplish  any  radical 
change  in  the  bent  of  their  minds,  because  they  are 
neither  in  earnest  nor  have  any  holy  motive.  Those 
usually  formed  by  convicted  sinners,  though  intensely 
earnest,  are  deficient  in  respect  to  such  holy  motive 
and  are  under  selfish  reasons.  Those  formed  by  self- 
denying  sinners  are  both  in  earnest  and  in  view  of  a 
right  or  holy  motive,  and  therefore  accomplish  a  change 
in  the  bent  of  their  minds  in  favor  of  that  motive.  A 
misconception  here  has  led  me  to  doubt  the  sufficiency 
of  any  kind  of  resolution  in  conversion;  but  I  can 
doubt  no  more.     Will  you  give  me  a  detail  of  the  or^i: 


276  CONVERSION. 

nary  experience  of  Cliristians  who  have  been  left  to  act 
without  very  clear  instructions  under  the  gospel?' 

P.  I  will.  For  want  of  such  instruction  many  who 
have,  at  times,  been  the  subjects  of  serious  impressions, 
have  doubtless  been  for  ever  lost;  as  is  said  by  the 
prophet:  "My  people  are  destroyed  for  lack  of  knowl- 
edge."-— Hos.  4 :  6.  There  is  no  matei'ial  difference  be- 
tween the  rise  and  progress  of  the  first  convictions  of 
sin  in  one  who  is  afterwards  truly  converted,  and  in  one 
who  is  not.  §.,  for  example,  is  aroused  to  reflection  by 
the  same  instrumentalities  as  any  of  those  I  have  de- 
scribed in  the  first  chapter ;  and  it  is  not  at  all  material 
to  the  final  issue  what  they  were.  He  starts  with  a 
heart  bent  on  securing  his  own  safety  and  peace  ulti- 
mately; and  with  this  prepurpose,  he  pursues  such 
means  as  he  hopes  will  terminate  in  success.  He  aims 
to  secure  evidences  of  a  change  and  a  sense  of  pardon,  in 
order  to  a  hope  of  his  own  safety  through  Christ;  and 
to  this  end  seeks  to  make  himself  good  and  propitiate 
Christ.  The  usual  course  is  first  to  correct  his  outward 
deportment;  and  next  to  obtain  sincere  and  right  feel- 
ings, as  has  been  before  fully  described.  In  his  progress 
he  determines  to  forsake  the  particular  sins  which  occur 
to  him,  and  finally,  to  renounce  the  world  and  its  sinful 
pleasures,  with  a  view  to  succeed  in  his  more  selfish 
ultimate  object.  Obtaining  no  relief  or  sense  of  pardon, 
he  redoubles  his  efforts  to  make  himself  better  and  to 
give  his  heart  to  God  sincerely,  so  as  to  do  it  safely  to 
himself  and  secure  the  desired  change;  he  prays  often, 
studies  the  Scriptures,  consults  Christians  for  their  ad- 
vice ;  and  in  increasing  anxiety  for  his  own  ends  casts 
about  to  find  what  he  calls  the  right  way  to  Christ.     He 


ASSURANCE.  277 

tries  to  believe,  but  it  does  no  good ;  while  his  thoughts, 
dwelling  upon  his  sins,  arouse  his  conscience  to  loud 
reproofs  and  condemnat'on,  and  he  becomes  more  deeply 
convinced  that  God  is  right  in  his  displeasure,  that  he 
ought  to  have  served  him  all  his  days,  that  every  thing 
in  himself  and  in  his  conduct  has  been  and  is  altogether 
sinful,  and  that  he  justly  deserves  the  everlasting  ven- 
geance of  God;  and  his  reproving  conscience  assures 
him  that  remaining  in  his  then  impenitent  state,  his 
final  and  eternal  perdition  is  certain.  In  his  renewed 
efforts  4:0  escape,  he  usually  ponders  upon  the  pains  of 
future  punishment  until  his  alarms  are  very  much  in- 
creased, and  his  endeavors  become  very  energetic. 

/.  Are  great  fears  of  perdition  necessary  to  a  true 
conversion  ? 

P.  No;  and  many  have  no  such  sensitiveness  about 
it  as  I  have  described,  but  are  merely  aware  of  the  prin- 
ciple of  eternal  punishment,  and  are  conscious  that  it 
will  be  their  fate  unless  they  repent.  In  their  extremity, 
they  are  often  tempted  to  flee  to  the  world ;  but  their 
conscience,  fears,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  prevent.  In  this 
way  some  continue  under  the  convicting  influences  of 
the  Spirit  for  months  and  even  years,  leading  a  life  of 
sadness,  and  ignorant  of  the  true  reason  of  their  remain- 
ing unconverted. 

/.  Better  remain  so,  than  to  receive  false  encourage- 
ment as  I  did. 

P,  Yes ;  for  the  Spirit  may  finally  drive  them  out  of 
their  prepurpose  for  their  own  ends,  into  holiness ;  but 
if,  a  false  belief  should  confirm  them  in  it,  there  tjan  be 
no  hope  in  their  case,  for  with  it  they  will  resist  the 
Spirit  to  the  last.  Q.  at  last  becomes  discouraged  be- 
24 


278  CONVERSION. 

cause  of  the  fruitlessness  of  his  prayers  and  efforts  for 
right  feelings;  he  still  thinks  that  Christ  is  willing  to 
help  him,  but  that  he  cannot  find  the  right  way  to  go 
to  him  for  aid.  This  inability  he  ascribes  to  the  sin- 
gularity of  his  own  case ;  no  one,  as  he  supposes,  having 
had  such  strange  thoughts,  wicked  feelings,  or  so  hard 
a  heart,  as  himself  Perhaps  he  ascribes  it  to  his  having 
begun  too  late,  and  having  so  long  withstood  conviction, 
and  resisted  the  Spirit;  or,  to  his  being  too  great  a  sin- 
ner to  be  pardoned.  Perhaps  he  concludes  that  he  has 
committed  the  unpardonable  sin,  and  grieved  away  the 
Spirit;  or  that  he  is  not  elected  to  be  saved. 

/.  The  true  reason,  as  I  now  see,  being  that  which 
Dr.  Nettleton  developed  when  under  similar  convictions 
of  sin — namely,  that  in  all  his  efforts  he  was  prompted 
by  selfish  motives;  that  he  had  no  love  to  God  and  no 
regard  to  his  glorg  in  them;  that  in  his  distress  there 
was  no  godly  sorrow,  and  that  he  had  not  hated  sin 
because  committed  against  God,  but  had  merely  dreaded 
its  consequences. 

P.  Yes,  that  is  the  true  reason.  But  under  his  own 
inferences  as  to  the  cause,  Q.  becomes  convinced  that  all 
his  expedients  and  efforts  to  succeed  are  useless,  and  in 
utter  despondency  he  finally  suspends  them.  He  is  now 
slain  by  the  law;  that  is,  he  is  convinced  of  his  entire 
depravity,  of  his  just  exposure  to  the  penalty  of  eternal 
death,  of  his  inability  to  do  any  thing  toward  his  own 
'safety  and  peace,  and  that  no  help  therefor  is  to  be 
obtained  from  God  or  man.  His  hostility  to  God  is 
restrained  by  -the  conviction  of  the  justness  of  his  doom ; 
and  he  is  determined  never  to  retreat  to  the  world,  be- 
cause his  conscience  forbids,  and  he  perceives  in  it   a 


ASSURANCE.  279 

"certain  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  indig- 
nation," and  he  is  withheld  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit 
which  brought  him  there.  He  looks  upon  himself  as 
a  lost  man,  in  every  sense. 

/.  How  clearly  the  subject  opens  to  me  now  I  As 
regards  every  thing  he  values,  he  is  lost;  but  no  more 
so  then  than  before,  only  he  has  become  more  fully 
aware  of  it. 

P.  Yes.  The  loss  of  every  prospect  of  success  in  his 
selfish  purposes,  destroys  the  power  of  his  desires;  and 
now  for  the  first  time  in  his  whole  existence,  his  will  is 
released  from  their  domination,  and  his  mind  is  open  to 
the  influence  of  new  moral  motives.  In  his  extremity 
he  anticipates  no  benefit  from  any  thing  he  can  do, 
since  he  has  tried  every  thing  conceivable ;  so  that  the 
hope  of  good  does  not  influence  him  in  his  subsequent 
volitions.  He  is  aware  that  his  situation  can  be  made  no 
more  desperate  by  any  position  he  may  take ;  and  conse- 
quently he  ceases  to  be  influenced  by  his  fears.  He  is 
then  led  to  reflect  upon  the  fact  that  his  offended  Sover- 
eign not  only  has  power  to  punish  him,  but  that  he  de- 
serves to  be  punished ;  that  God  has  a  right  to  do  with 
him  just  as  he  sees  fit  for  time  and  eternity,  and  that  he 
ought  to  let  him.  The  Holy  Spirit  now  reaches  his 
heart  in  his  regenerating  influences;  and  (g-,  without  any 
efforts  to  be  sincere,  and  without  resorting  to  any  of  his 
former  expedients,  simply  resigns  himself  to  let  the  will 
of  God  be  done ;  and  under  the  mere  impulse  that  he 
ought'  to,  and  without  interposing  any  desires,  hopes, 
or  fears,  makes  up  his  mind  or  consents  to  leave  himself 
entirely  at  his  disposal  for  time  and  for  eternity.  This 
consent  of  the  will,  is  the  act  of  turning  to  God. 


280  CONVERSION. 

Z  But  he  does  not  then  regard  it  as  conversion  ? 

P.  No.  Accustomed  to  expect  strong  feelings  and 
bright  evidences,  and  ignorant  of  the  true  moral  and 
metaphysical  character  of  the  act  required,  he  passes  it 
over  as  having  no  tendency  to  promote  his  desires.  In 
this  he  is  correct;  but  he  regards  it  as  having  no  tend- 
ency to  true  piety  also,  in  which  he  is  mistaken.  He 
is  conscious  of  being  in  earnest  in  thus  consenting  to  the 
will  of  God,  but  attaches  no  moral  value  to  the  act; 
and  this  idea  is  apt  to  abide  with  him  through  life, 
hindering  him  from  precisely  understanding  his  own 
conversion,  and  consequently  from  affording  others  clear 
instructions  upon  the  same  point.  Under  the  idea  that 
love  only  is  the  heart,  when  he  comes  afterwards  to 
exercise  pleasure  in  Grod  he  considers  that  feeling  to  be 
the  act  of  conversion  or  change  of  heart;  and  he  con- 
sequently labors  to  keep  up  his  own  enjoyments  and 
advises  others  to  do  the  same,  in  order  to  preserve  the 
new  heart — a  thing  which  cannot  always  be  done  under 
our  present  circumstances. 

I.  No  wonder,  in  this  view,  that  Christians  have  so 
many  doubts  and  are  often  pluDged  into  such  darkness. 

P.  Many  self-deceived  sinners  love  to  keep  the  sub- 
ject in  obscurity,  and,  under  the  cloak  of  humility, 
loudly  oppose  every  attempt  to  make  the  point  of  con- 
version clear,  because  it  will  destroy  their  own  hopes. 

/.  But  they  must  be  destroyed,  in  order  to  their  own 
deliverance  ? 

P.  Yes;  but  their  selfish  hearts  will  not  consent,  and 
would  rather  abuse  those  who  kindly  attempt  to  en- 
lighten them.  §.,  in  consenting  to  the  will  of  God,  acts 
simply  under  a  sense  of  duty,  that  is,  under  the  impulse 


ASSUKANCE.  281 

that  he  ought  to  yield  to  him;  and  under  the  same  sen- 
timent, makes  up  his  mind  to  serve  him  as  well  as  he 
can,  whatever  God  may  do  with  him  hereafter.  It  may 
be  that,  on  so  yielding,  he  expects  to  be  punished;  or 
it  may  be  that  he  thinks  of  neither  pardon  nor  punish- 
ment, but  submits  to  God  as  one  who  has  a  right  to  do 
as  he  will,  without  anticipating  any  consequences,  favor- 
able or  unfavorable.  The  important  point  is,  that  by 
the  removal  of  all  others,  the  right  of  God  becomes  the 
strongest  present  motive,  and  moves  him,  under  the 
Spirit,  to  yield  his  will  to  God. 

Z  Is  submission  always  the  first  act? 

P.  No.  Perhaps  when  so  desponding  in  self-denial, 
Q.  first  thought  of  his  past  sins;  and  the  idea  that  God 
had  a  right  to  forbid  them,  and  did  forbid  them,  led 
him  to  resolve  to  sin  no  more.  In  this  case,  the  same 
principle  of  the  divine  authority  would  be  yielded  to, 
and  would  constitute  the  act  of  turning  to  God.  It  is 
not  material  what  particular  duty  is  contemplated  in 
the  first  volition,  provided  the  authority  of  God  is  its 
motive;  and  whoever  enters  thus  upon  one  duty,  wiU 
find  that  the  idea  of  the  authority  of  God  has  thereby  so 
obtained  the  ascendancy  over  his  mind  that,  under  its 
impulse,  he  can  spontaneously  comply  with  every  other. 

I.  I  see  that  if  the  right  of  God  obtains  the  control 
of  the  will  through  the  conscience,  on  any  subject,  it  will 
exert  the  same  predominance  over  all  others;  for  it  is 
intrinsically  the  most  powerful  of  all  motives,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit,  I  suppose,  will  preserve  its  influence  on 
the  heart. 

P.  Yes.  Q,  did  not  anticipate  any  change  on  so 
yielding  to  God,  and  he  acquires  no  such  evidences 
24* 


282  CONVERSION. 

of  safety  as  he  formerly  endeavored  to  secure;  yet  he 
enters  upon  a  new  state  of  mind,  inasmuch  as  he  finds 
himself  willing  to  be  unreservedly  in  the  hands  of  God, 
and  to  serve  him  because  he  ought  to  do  so.  By  con- 
senting, he  has  reached  a  state  of  willingness ;  but  he 
seldom  looks  upon  it  as  a  change  of  heart — for  he  wants 
brighter  evidences.  Still,  he  feels  pleased  that  God 
reigns,  that  his  holy  will  shall  be  accomplished  what- 
ever becomes  of  himself,  and  he  is  satisfied  to  be  in  his 
hands.  Conscience  now  approves  his  submission  and 
gives  peace  to  his  soul,  leaving  him  astonished,  perhaps, 
that  he  can  feel  so  composed  and  even  pleased  with 
God  while,  for  ought  he  knows,  his  soul  will  be  de- 
stroyed. This  he  regards  as  a  degree  of  insensibility, 
instead  of  the  power  of  a  new  principle  as  it  actually  is. 
Perhaps  while  engaged  in  prayer  or  reflecting  upon  the 
character  of  God,  he  feels  a  love  to  him  spring  up  in 
his  heart;  and  the  more  he  reflects  upon  his  rectitude, 
holiness,  justice,  goodness,  the  stronger  his  love  becomes. 
And  then,  as  has  been  said,  he  begins  to  indulge  a  hope 
in  Christ,  and  dates  his  conversion  from  that  period. 

I.  The  difference  then  between  a  true  and  false  con- 
vert is  this:  the  true  submits  to  God  and  loves  him 
for  his  own  sake,  before  he  entertains  a  hope  of  pardon ; 
while  the  false  hopes  for  his  own  happiness  first,  and 
makes  a  pretended  submission  to  accomplish  it,  and 
entertains  a  selfish  love  afterwards? 

P.  Yes.  The  false  cannot  conceive  how  one  can  love 
God,  until  after  his  regards  are  excited  by  a  persuasion 
of  his  friendship  and  mercy  to  himself!  By  such  yield- 
ing to  God,  Q.  has  acquired  good-will  to  hfm,  to  all  his 
commands,  to  all  who  imitate  his  character,  and  generally 


ASSURANCE.  283 

to  every  good  word  and  work.  This  is  exhibited  in  that 
love  to  the  disciples,  hatred  to  sin,  desire  for  the  exten- 
sion of  Christ's  kingdom  and  devotion  to  his  glory, 
which  have  been  heretofore  sufficiently  described. 

/.  In  order,  then,  to  test  our  conversion,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  decide  whether  the  idea  of  the  creative 
right  of  God  exerts,  of  itself,  sufficient  power  over  our 
nriinds  to  lead  us  freely  to  resolve  to  obey  him  ? 

P.  Yes.  And  in  order  to  discover  the  resulting  evi- 
dences of  such  a  volition,  we  are  to  look  at  our  exercises 
toward  the  character  of  God,  toward  duty,  toward  sin, 
toward  Christians,  toward  sinners,  and  the  like. 

/.  This  renders  the  matter  plain  and  highly  satisfac- 
tory. Most  Christians  are  seeking  after  some  grounds 
for  a  hope,  instead  of  contemplating  their  principles. 

P.  In  order  to  show  the  agreement  of  a  true  experi- 
ence with  the  principles  we  have  been  examining,  I  will 
give  in  a  note  the  exercises  of  an  artless  Indian  girl, 
substantially  as  they  are  narrated  by  the  missionary  at 
the  Mackinaw  station.* 

*  Me-sai-ain-see  had  long  endeavored  to  dispel  the  alarm  pro- 
duced by  the  faithful  instructions  of  her  teachers ;  but  the  fear  of 
dying  without  the  new  heart  had  induced  her  to  correct  her  deport- 
ment and  to  live  morally  in  all  respects  towards  her  companions. 
At  last,  under  an  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  at  the  station,  she  became 
so  convicted  of  sin,  and  so  distressed  at  her  danger,  that  she  resorted 
to  every  conceivable  expedient  to  secure  relief,  and  an  evidence  of 
a  hope  of  pardon  and  future  peace.  Every  effort  seemed  vain; 
while  the  apparent  success  of  those  of  her  companions  who  had 
found  peace,  filled  her  heart  with  envy  against  them,  and  rebellion 
against  God.  Her  heart  seemed  to  harden,  until  she  gave  up  all 
hope  of  softening  or  breaking  it;  and  unable  to  go  forward  she 
was  shut  up,  not  knowing  what  to  do.      For  three  days  her  per- 


284  CONVERSION. 

L  Are  there  no  varieties  in  Christian  experience? 

P.  There  are  in  respect  to  the  causes  of  conviction 
of  sin,  and  in  the  occurrence  of  the  exercises  after  con- 
version ;  but  in  respect  to  the  fact  of  self-denial,  and  the 
yielding  in  some  form  to  the  authority  of  God,  there  is 

plexity  and  anxiety  was  so  great  as  entirely  to  overcome  her;  and 
at  last  she  became  unable  to  shed  a  tear.  She  afterwards  said  to 
her  friends,  "I  got  to  my  bed-room,  and  throwing  myself  upon  the 
bed,  I  lay  for  some  time  unconscious  of  every  tiling  but  the  fire 
within ;  nor  durst  I  shut  my  eyes  for  fear  I  should  find  myself  in 
death,  actually  sinking  into  the  flames  of  hell.  I  said  to  myself,  I 
have  tried  every  way  [to  secure  relief  by  a  hope  of  peace  and  safety] 
in  vain.  I  cannot  help  myself;  neither  prayers  nor  anxieties  do  any 
good;  they  lead  to  no  relief."  Under  this  conviction  she  ceased 
her  efforts  for  it,  and  thus  denied  herself;  and  conscience  then  took 
the  command.  "It  is  right,  it  is  just  in  God  to  destroy  me;  I  ouglit 
to  perish.  He  may  do  what  he  pleases  [an  earnest,  but  unimpas- 
sioned  consent  to  God's  sovereign  authority]  ;  if  he  sends  me  to  hell, 
let  him  do  it;  and  if  he  shows  mercy,  well;  let  him  do  just  what  he 
pleases  [that  is,  a  transfer  of  the  whole  question  to  God  without 
dictating  what  he  shall  do,  and  with  a  previous  consent  to  his  deci- 
sion, whatever  it  may  be ;  the  will  thereby  turning  from  the  dominion 
of  self  to  that  of  God].  Here,  as  in  a  moment,  I  had  such  a 
kind  of  one  or  whole  view  of  myself  and  willingness  to  be  in  God's 
hands,  that  I  could  keep  in  bed  no  longer,  and  resolved  to  go  in 
prayer  and  throw  myself  for  the  last  time  at  the  feet  of  my  Saviour 
[her  name  for  Christ],  and  solemnly  beg  of  him  [not,  as  before,  to 
pity,  pardon,  and  secure  her  safety  and  peace,  but]  to  do  what  he 
would  with  me"  [that  is,  to  accomplish  his  own  will,  the  new  object 
which  had,  unobserved  to  herself  as  it  were,  just  become  chief  in 
her  thoughts,  desires,  and  purposes.]  A  pious  Indian  woman  now 
engaged  in  conversation  with  her.  The  girl  said,  "  she  told  me  how 
easy  it  was  to  believe  in  the  Saviour  [hope  in  his  mercy],  if  I  would. 
She  then  prayed  with  me;  and  here  I  lost  all  my  burden.  I  felt  light, 
a  strange  feeling  which  I  cannot  describe.    I  had  no  thought  that  I 


ASSURANCE.  285 

no  variety.  Let  us  take  another  case,  i?.,  we  will  sup- 
pose, has  yielded  himself  to  God,  and  takes  an  unex- 
pected peace  in  the  idea  that  he  is  at  his  sovereign 
disposal,  and  that  he  will  do  right.  Of  course  his  fears 
and  anxieties  are  now  dissipated ;  but  he  is  not  aware 
of  being  in  a  converted  state.  It  suddenly  occurs  to 
him,  perhaps,  that  he  has  lost  his  convictions  for  sin; 
and  in  alarm  he  seeks  to  recover  them.  At  once  he 
passes  down  into  a  state  of  deep  repentance  for  sin  and 
of  self-abhorrence  and  gloom,  which  dispel  all  his  late 
comfort.     This  he  mistakes  for  conviction  of  sin  merely, 

loved  Christ  [had  no  idea  that  she  had  any  Scriptural  evidences,  and 
so  had  no  hope  of  pardon],  but  I  was  happy  [in  God  himself] ;  and 
yet  afraid  to  be  happy.  I  was  afraid  to  give  indulgence  to  my  feel- 
ings; for  it  would  be  dreadful  after  all,  it  appeared  to  me,  to  go  to 
hell  with  no  feeling  of  distress  about  it!  [Her  submission  to,  and 
love  of  the  will  of  God,  had  not  destroyed  her  desire  of  happiness; 
but  had  for  the  time  so  engrossed  her  heart  that  the  thought  sho 
might  be  lost  gave  her  no  anxiety.]  Rising  from  my  knees,  I  was 
conscious  of  a  smile  upon  my  face,  which  I  tried  to  hide."  Soon 
after  another  person  prayed  with  her,  and  Me-sai-ain-see  afterwards 
said,  "Here  I  was  filled  with  that  happiness  I  hope  to  enjoy  in 
heaven,  arising  from  a  view  of  the  love,  the  nearness,  and  the  glory 
of  the  Saviour.  I  seemed  to  see  it,  to  feel  it  all  in  a  fullness  of  joy 
beyond  expression."  On  being  asked,  "Can  you  not  love  this 
Saviour?"  the  poor  girl  ventured  to  say, "  I  hope  I  do."  She  said, 
"this  was  the  first  intimation  I  had  dared  to  give  of  my  peace  of  soul. 
My  joy  had  swallowed  up  all  my  fear,  and  I  could  not  resist  the 
answer.  Now,  I  had  such  a  love  to  all  around,  as  well  as  for  the 
Saviour,  that  I  could  have  folded  them  to  my  bosom.  I  appeared 
to  be  in  a  new  world ;  every  thing  led  me  to  God ;-  not  an  object 
did  I  see,  but  it  seemed  to  say,  How  glorious  and  lovely  is  the  great 
God !"  From  that  memorable  night  her  life  and  conversation  have 
been  such  as  becometh  godliness. 


286  CONVEKSION. 

and  struggles  onward  in  deeper  darkness.  Perhaps 
some  view  of  God  in  liis  moral  beauty  may  finally  lift 
his  soul  out  of  despondency ;  but  if  not,  he  will  spend 
his  days  with  new  principles  respecting  God  and  his 
duty  indeed,  but  without  a  hope  to  cheer  him  onward, 
and  perhaps  in  the  vain  struggle  after  evidences  of 
acceptance.  In  sadness  and  doubt  he  serves  the  Lord, 
"faint  though  pursuing;"  and  perhaps  never  enjoys  an 
unclouded  hope  of  "God's  salvation"  until  his  entrance 
into  the  kingdom  on  high  renders  a  hope  unnecessary. 

I.  I  think  I  have  met  with  many  such  hopeless 
believers.  Some  persons  are  prone  to  despondency,  and 
always  look  at  the  dark  side  of  every  subject;  and  well 
it  is  for  them  that  religion  consists  in  a  devotion  to  God 
and  his  glory,  rather  than  in  a  hope  of  pardon,  else  they 
would  fail  of  final  holy  blessedness.  I  realize  more  •  and 
more  the  importance  of  clear  and  correct  views,  in  order 
to  Christian  enjoyment. 

P.  S.  belongs  to  a  class  who  have  never  been  much 
alarmed  by  a  view  of  the  eternal  perdition  which  they 
know  awaits  them;  but  who  are  peculiarly  sensitive 
to  their  sins,  and  whose  consciences  are  very  readily 
aroused  in  view  of  their  guilt.  Under  the  influence  of 
his  reflections  upon  the  truth,  and  under  the  power  of 
the  Spirit,  his  conscience  turns  his  thoughts  so  entirely 
to  the  subject  of  his  sinfulness  and  rebellion  against 
God,  that  he  loses  sight  of  all  prospect  of  escaping  the 
divine  penalty.  Suspending  every  effort  for  his  own 
escape,  he  makes  the  struggle  on  the  point  whether  he 
will  'submit  to  God  or  no,  until  the  Spirit  reaches  his 
heart,  and  he  yields  to  God  to  let  him  control  as  he 
will  for  time  and  eternity.     His  will  having  now  sub- 


ASSURANCE.  287 

mitted  under  a  kind  of  impulse  for  God,  he  finds  him- 
self luilling  to  serve  him,  and  soon  exercises  those  other 
Christian  aflfections  before  described.  In  explanation  of 
this  subject  more  at  large,  I  will  give,  in  a  note,  an 
account  of  some  revivals  of  religion  under  the  preach- 
ing of  some  of  the  sound  divines  of  the  last  century.* 

*  Extract  from  an  Account  of  a  Revival  of  Religion  in  the  toivnship 
of  Bristol,  Connecticut,  in  the  year  1799. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year,  there  were  about  fifty  who  appeared 
to  be  reconciled  to  God,  :md  who  were  rejoicing  in  hope. 

The  exercises  of  these  persons  were  in  some  respects  different, 
and  ill  some  simihir.  Some  seemed  to  have  much  more  pungent 
convictions  of  sin  than  others — some  were  more  conscious  of  the 
strength  aud  bitterness  of  the  enmity  of  their  hearts  to  God  than 
others.  Yet  there  was  a  great  similarity  in  the  account  which  they 
gave  of  themselves.     That  account  was  something  like  this: 

At  first  they  were  principally  affected  with  a  sense  of  their  danger 
of  the  wrath  of  God;  they  then  resorted  to  their  own  works  to 
conciliate  his  favor,  without  that  submission  to  him,  and  reliance  on 
Christ,  which  the  gospel  requires.  While  pursuing  this  course,  they 
gnidually  grew  more  and  more  sensible  of  their  guilt,  and  of  the 
dreadful  depravity  of  their  hearts,  till  they  were  convinced  of  their 
entire  dependence  on  the  sovereign  mercy  of  God  for  salvation.  At 
this  point  many  were  conscious  of  dreadful  heart  risings  against  God 
and  his  government.  Some  were  on  the  borders  of  despair.  After 
continuing  for  some  time  in  this  state,  many  of  them  were  suddenly 
lelieved  from  the  anguish  of  then*  souls.  Of  these,  some  were 
immediately  filled  with  great  joy,  and  with  admiring  views  of  the 
excellence  of  God's  character.  Every  thing  about  them  seemed 
showing  forth  God's  presence  and  glory  which  they  had  never  seen 
before. 

Others  at  first  experienced  only  a  calm  composure  of  mind,  a  full 
approbation  of  God's  right  to  dispose  of  them  as  he  pleased.  They 
did  not  view  themselves  as  entitled  to  the  promises  of  the  gospel, 
but  even  feared  that  they  were  losing  their  convictions,  and  should 


288  .      CONVERSION. 

I.  I  shall  be  obliged  by  your  doing  so. 

P.  T.  is  the  representative  of  still  another  class,  whose 
numbers  are  comparatively  small.  He  had  become  con- 
return  to  their  former  stupidity.  This  state  of  mind  was  generally 
followed  in  a  few  hours,  or  a  few  days,  with  a  joyful  pereaption  of 
the  excellency  and  glory  of  God,  and  a  spirit  of  love,  praise,  and 
comfort  in  Him,  or  of  the  glorious  work  of  redemption  in  Christ,  the 
fullness  of  His  salvation,  or  some  other  of  the  various  manifestations 
which  God  has  made  of  his  perfections.  These  exercises  caused  a 
hope  to  spring  up  in  their  minds  that  they  were  born  of  God.  This 
was  commonly  by  no  means  strong  at  first,  and  was  expressed  with 
caution.  As  they  were  more  or  less  obedient  to  God,  their  hopes 
increased  or  diminished. 

Many  of  them  declared  that  the  happiness  they  enjoyed  in  religious 
exercises,  far  exceeded  all  the  sinful  pleasures  they  had  ever  enjoyed. 
A  number  of  those  whose  experience  has  thus  been  alluded  to,  were 
formerly  opposed  to  the  doctrine  of  the  divine  purposes,  and  the 
total  depravity  of  the  natural  heart.  After  their  conversion,  they  had 
no  quarrel  with  these  doctrines.  There  was  a  man  in  the  parish, 
about  fifty-six  years  old,  who  had  been  very  inattentive  to  religion, 
and  had  very  much  neglected  public  worship.  When  the  revival 
commenced,  he  was  at  work  in  a  neighboring  township.  After  two 
or  three  months  he  returned.  He  found  many  of  the  people  greatly 
changed;  and  this  led  him  to  reflect  en  his  own  sinful  condition,  till 
he  became  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of  his  danger.  He  then 
constantly  attended  religious  meetings,  and  soon  acquired  some  just 
views  of  the  relations  between  God  and  himself,  and  of  the  way  of 
salvation.  Not  long  after,  he  manifested  a  spirit  of  submission  to 
God.  He  was  asked  if  he  was  willing  that  God  should  govern  all 
things  according  to  his  own  good  will  and  pleasure.  He  readily 
answered,  "Yes,  that  is  what  I  want."  It  was  said,  "What  if  he 
should  cut  you  off?"  He  answered,  "Well,  I  won't  find  fault  with 
him  if  he  does.  I  won't  say  I  submit,  and  then  find  fault  with  him 
if  he  doesn't  do  with  me  as  I  wish." 

He  said  this  in  a  manner  which  indicated  that  he  uttered  the  real 
feelings  of  liis  heart    He  remained  for  several  weeks  rejoicing  in 


ASSURANCE.  289 

vinced  of  his  sins,  of  his  just  desert  of  the  divine 
wrath,  and  also  that  he  would  be  lost  if  he  remained  in 
his  then  state  of  heart;  and  for  some  time  he  had  been 

God  and  his  government,  and  in  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  the 
gospel,  before  he  had  any  idea  or  hope  that  he  was  a  real  Christian. 
This  was  not  known  to  his  neighbors,  and  one  of  them  asked  him  to 
state  the  reasons  why  he  thought  himself  a  Christian.  He  replied, 
"  I  don't  think  I  am  one,  I  have  no  idea  that  I  am,  but  I  hope  I  shall 
be."  Mention  was  made  to  him  of  the  gracious  promises  made  to 
those  who  will  cast  themselves  on  God's  mercy.  He  answered,  "I 
choose  that  he  should  do  with  me  as  he  sees  fit.'* 

Some  time  after  this  by  comparing  liis  exercises  with  the  word  of 
God,  he  indulged  an  humble  hope  that  he  was  a  Christian.  He 
continued  to  enjoy  great  peace  of  mind,  though  a  sense  of  his  own 
vileness  and  unworthiness  increased  upon  him.  On  one  occasion,  he 
said,  "A  sense  of  my  vileness  neither  interrupts  my  happiness,  nor 
leads  me  to  dread  the  day  of  judgment,  for  my  hopes  are  in  Christ 
alone." 

Extracts  from  an  Account  cf  a  Revival  in  New  Cambridgey 
Connecticut  J  in  1799. 

When  first  awakened  they  were  generally  moved  by  a  sense  of 
danger.  They  then  set  out  with  the  resolution  and  expectation  of 
making  themselves  better.  But  the  more  they  attended  to  the  duties 
of  religion  and  endeavored  to  make  themselves  better,  the  more 
sensible  they  became  of  their  exceeding  depravity  and  guilt.  They 
were  soon  brought  to  see  that  their  hearts  were  full  of  sin  and 
opposition  to  God.  Instead  of  supposing,  as  they  formerly  did,  that 
they  had  no  enmity  to  God,  and  that  they  did  many  things  which 
were  right  and  acceptable  in  his  sight,  they  were  now  sensible  that 
they  had  always  been  opposed  to  his  charaxiter  and  government, 
that  they  had  been  sinning  against  him  in  all  their  moral  conduct, 
and  that  he  might  justly  cast  them  off  for  ever.  They  were  fully 
convinced  that  such  was  their  depravity,  that  they  should  never 
repent  unless  influenced  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  that  God  might 
justly  withhold  that  influence,  and  leave  them  to  go  on  and  perish 

25 


290  CONVERSION. 

seeking  religion,  as  he  supposed,  by  prayer  and  attention 
to  religious  duties.  On  one  occasion  he  was  listening 
to  an  interesting,  because  convincing  discourse  on  the 
subject  of  the  sinner's  duty  to  God.  He  soon  forgot  him- 
self in  the  subject;  and  when  the  preacher  presented  the 
idea  of  the  rightful  authority  of  God  over  the  creature, 
he  assented  to  it  as  a  clear  truth,  without  thinking  about 
his  own  happiness.  On  the  idea  being  urged  that  we 
ought  to  obey  God,  he  thought  it  would  be  right  toward 
him,  and  under  the  Spirit  concluded  he  would  obey 
him.  This  was  done  without  any  thought  of  himself, 
and  therefore  with  self-denial.  He  continued  thus  to 
follow  the  preacher  through  his  discourse;  and  at  its 
close  for  the  first  time  thought  of  himself,  and  of  the 
people  who  surrounded  him.  His  eye  rested  upon  some 
active  Christians  in  the  assembly,  and  his  heart  flowed 
out  in  good -will  and  love  to  them  as  disciples  of  Christ. 
Now,  said  he,  I  can  understand  what  these  Christians 

in  their  sins.  The  convictions  of  some  were  more  sharp  and  pow- 
erful than  those  of  others.  Some  experienced  them  for  a  longer, 
some  for  a  shorter  time.  When  they  were  very  powerful,  the 
subjects  of  them  commonly  found  relief  sooner. 

When  they  found  relief,  it  was  commonly  from  a  discovery  of  the 
glory  and  rectitude  of  the  divine  character,  and  a  disposition  to 
submit  to  God.  They  had  new  views  and  feelings  toward  almost 
every  thing  around.  Jesus  Christ  appeared  glorious  and  lovely, 
and  such  an  all-sufficient  Saviour  as  they  needed,  and  therefore  they 
cordially  trusted  in  him  for  salvation.  They  could  rejoice  that  the 
Lord  reigned,  and  would  dispose  of  all  events  as  he  saw  best.  The 
Bible  appeared  new  and  delightful,  and  they  cordially  approved  its 
doctrines  and  precepts.  These  and  other  similar  views  and  feelings 
were  manifested  by  the  young  converts;  but  some  manifested  a 
much  more  lively  sense  of  these  things  than  others. 


ASSURANCE.  291 

have  been  about,  and  will  help  them  serve  'the  Lord. 
And  such  has  been  his  endeavor  hitherto. 

T.  I  see  that  if  one  happens  to  forget  himself,  he 
can  act  in  view  of  a  holy  motive  alone;  but  one  cannot 
forget  himself  by  trying,  and  T.  must  have  pretty  much 
worn  out  his  selfish  courage  before  then. 

P.  My  object  in  these  details  has  been  to  meet  the 
cases  of  various  Christian  readers,  in  order  that  they 
may  clearly  understand  their  own  exercises,  decide  upon 
their  moral  character,  and  so  enjoy  the  blessings  which  an 
assurance  will  confer.  If  any  such  have  been  disturbed 
by  the  instructions  and  arguments  heretofore  used  for 
sinners,  it  will  not  work  the  least  injury ;  while  by  un- 
derstanding the  false  as  well  as  the  true,  their  perceptions 
of  the  latter  will  be  more  clear,  and  their  confidence 
in  it  will  be  rendered  more  firm.  It  is  a  received  doc- 
trine, as  expressed  by  the  Westminster  Assembly,  that 
"although  unregenerate  men  may  vainly  deceive  them- 
selves with  false  hopes  and  carnal  presumptions  of  being 
in  the  favor  of  God  and  estate  of  salvation,  which  hope 
of  theirs  shall  perish ;  yet  such  as  truly  believe  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  and  love  him  in  sincerity,  endeavoring  to 
walk  in  all  good  conscience  before  him,  may  in  this  life 
be  certainly  assured  that  they  are  in  a  state  of  grace,  and 
may  "rejoice  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God;"  which 
hope  shall  never  make  them  ashamed."  And  again: 
"Such  may,  without  extraordinary  revelation,  by  faith 
grounded  on  the  truth  of  God's  promises,  and  by  the 
Spirit  enabling  them  to  discern  in  themselves  those  gi^aces 
to  which  the  promises  of  life  are  made.^  and  bearing  witness 
with  their  Spirits  that  they  are  the  children  of  God, 


292  CONVERSION. 

be  infaUibhj  assured  that  thej  are  in  the  estate  of  grace, 
and  shall  persevere  therein  nnto  salvation." 

/.  I  feel  reassured ;  for  I  feared  that  such  confidence 
in  one's  good  estate  might  be  dangerous  to  the  Chris- 
tian's faithful  progress,  as  well  as  presumptuous. 

P.  As  to  its  being  dangerous,  we  must  distinguish 
between  the  sinner  who  has  a  hope,  and  the  Christian. 
The  sinner  has  no  love  to  God  for  his  intrinsic  moral 
worth,  to  impel  him  to  obedience.  All  the  motive  influ- 
ence he  possesses,  is  the  desire  and  hope  to  secure  his 
favor  in  order  to  his  own  safety  and  peace.  Now,  let 
him  become  perfectly  confident  of  this  favor,  and  he 
will  be  ready  to  plunge  into  any  favorite  sin,  and  to 
riot  in  every  worldly  pleasure  which  he  does  not  appre- 
hend will  interfere  with  his  prospects.  And  he  is  very 
liberal  on  this  point,  since  he  has  no  standard  in  his 
own  heart  superior  to  the  love  of  pleasure,  by  which 
to  decide  the  moral  propriety  of  his  conduct.  Hence  we 
find  that  those  increasing  sects  in  religion  which  substi- 
tute rites  and  forms  for  holiness,  are  the  most  popular 
and  their  devotees  the  most  worldly.  The  six  days 
of  the  week  are  spent  in  worldliness  and  the  pursuit 
of  every  attainable  pleasure;  while  the  Sabbath  is,  as 
far  as  is  agreeable,  devoted  to  repairing  damages,  and 
to  confirming  a  hope  of  eternal  pleasures  after  the 
present  are  worn  out.  But  as  respects  the  Christian, 
who  has  a  new,  a  holy,  and  a  superior  affection  for  God 
and  for  the  things  that  make  for  his  glory,  a  confidence 
in  his  good  estate  is  a  most  powerful  stimulus  to  perse- 
verance, inasmuch  as  it  encourages  him  with  a  hope  of 
victory!  Slavish  fear  forms  no  part  of  his  motives; 
but  there  is  a  holy  fear  which  will  always  exist,  and 


ASSURANCE.  293 

which  will  tend  to  sustain  him  in  his  progress,  however 
strong  his  preseiit  confidence  may  be.  "Let  us  therefore 
fear,  lest  a  promise  being  left  us  of  entering  into  his 
rest,  any  of  you  should  seem  to  come  short  of  it." — Heb. 
4:1.  In  the  perfect  obedience  of  the  saints  of  light, 
may  be  seen  the  effects  of  a  fiill  assurance  on  the  holy 
heart.  The  temptations  of  the  world  are  never  so  pow- 
erless, as  when  the  Christian  rests  in  a  holy  confidence 
on  Christ,  not  merely  for  a  pardon,  but  for  strength  to 
glorify  him  here  and  to  enjoy  him  hereafter. 

/.  And  the  constrained  service  of  the  fearful  sinner 
under  his  doubts,  could  be  no  more  acceptable  than  if 
rendered  from  a  confident  hope. 

P.  As  respects  such  assurance  being  presumptuous, 
nothing  can  be  so  which  is  founded  on  the  truth.  To 
believe  any  truth,  or  to  receive  any  correct  inference 
from  it,  can  never  be  arrogance  or  presumption ;  but  not 
to  do  so,  may  rather  evince  an  undue  diffidence. 

/.  My  fear  was  to  apply  the  fact  to  myself. 

P.  We  should  never  suffer  our  mere  apprehensions 
to  interfere  with  the  conclusions  of  our  judgment,  or 
with  the  application  of  them  to  ourselves,  whether  fa- 
vorable or  unfavorable,  when  truth  will  authorize  or 
require  it.  I  therefore  advise  you  to  dispel  such  influ- 
ences, and  to  open  your  mind  to  conviction  on  this 
subject. 

/.  I  will  do  so.  But  will  not  such  a  confidence  in 
my  good  estate,  be  equivalent  to  declaring  that  I  am 
perfect  in  my  own  estimation? 

P.  By  no  means.  The  selfish  mind,  indeed,  so  regards 
assurance,  for  the  reason  that  all  its  hopes  are  based 
upon  its  own  supposed  goodness,  and  it  seeks  perfection 
25* 


294  CONVEKSION. 

as  the  ground  of  perfect  confidence  in  its  future  safety. 
When  the  standard  of  holy  principle  and  of  the  divine 
law  is  lowered  to  the  exigencies  of  his  selfishness,  or 
when  his  blind  or  seared  conscience  fails  to  reprove  him 
for  a  deviation  from  that  which  God  has  presented  as 
his  rule  of  heart  and  life,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  him- 
self to  have  attained  a  sinlessly  perfect  state,  and  to 
hope  professedly  in  the  merits  of  Christ,  but  really  upon 
his  own  supposed  righteousness.  This  is  the  key  to 
the  destructive  error  known  as  Perfectionism;  an  error 
which  cannot  long  enthrall  the  true  believer,  because 
his  standard  is  too  high  and  his  conscience  too  sensitive 
to  continue  the  self-complacent  delusion.  The  Scriptures 
every  where  condemn  it  by  implication,  and  in  many 
instances  by  express  averments.  Thus  God  pronounced 
Job  upright,  in  view  of  his  upright  principles  and  his 
honest  purpose  to  observe  them ;  while  Job  himself,  in 
view  of  his  various  violations  of  them  in  feeling  and 
conduct  declared,  "If  /  say  I  am  perfect,  it  [the  very 
pretension]  shall  also  prove  me  perverse,"  or  turned 
aside  from  the  truth  and  right. — Job  9 :  20;  Eccl.  7 :  20. 
Still,  the  Christian  feels  that  it  is  his  duty  to  be  per- 
fectly holy  (Matt.  5 :  48) ;  he  knows  that  it  is  his  duty 
to  exercise  every  right  feeling  toward  every  object 
toward  which  he  exercises  any  moral  feelings  at  all. 
But  he  well  understands  that  neither  perfection  nor 
imperfection  constitutes  the  reason  why  Christ  pardons 
the  penitent,  and  he  does  not  look  to  his  progress  to 
graduate  his  hope.  He  knows  that  he  is  not  accepted 
because  he  is  holy ;  and  he  knows  also  that  he  will  not 
be  accepted  unless  he  has  a  holy  character.  He  looks 
to  his  principles  and  exercises,  not  to  ascertain  whether 


ASSURANCE.  295 

and  to  what  extent  he  deserves  a  recompense;  but 
whether  he  can  perceive  the  quahfications  which  Christ 
has  rendered  indispensable  to  his  mercy,  so  as  to  trust  in 
him  without  presumption.  When  he  discovers  them,  he 
does  not  ground  his  expectations  upon  them,  or  partly  on 
them  and  partly  on  Christ ;  but  averting  his  attention 
from  his  conscious  demerit  as  well  as  from  his  holy 
principles,  he  rests  solely  on  the  mere  grace  of  Christ 
through  the  atonement  for  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanc- 
tification,  redemption,  and  eternal  life. 

1.  I  can  now  readily  understand  the  difference,  but 
never  did  before.  I  used  to  think  and  say  that  my 
hope  was  alone  on  Christ,  by  which  I  meant,  as  I  now 
perceive,  that  I  depended  alone  on  iha  powei'  of  Christ; 
while  I  trusted  in  my  hope  and  other  supposed  qualifi- 
cations, to  recommend  me  to  him  for  the  exertion  of  that 
power.     It  was  mere  self-righteousness. 

P.  A  species  which  is,  alas!  too  common  throughout 
the  whole  visible  church. 

/.  I  have  feared  that  such  assurance  would  evince  a 
want  of  due  humility. 

P.  And  so  many  think,  whose  condemning  consciences 
drive  them  from  its  comforts.  Humility  of  the  under- 
standing, is  a  teachableness  of  disposition  under  divine 
revelation.  Humility  of  the  will,  is  its  entire  submission 
to  God  and  his  word  as  therein  made  known.  Humility 
in  estimation  of  ourselves,  consists  in  ascertaining  and 
receiving  the  exact  truth  respecting  ourselves  so  far  as 
it  can  be  reached,  as  having  long  rebelled  against  God, 
and  as  being  without  any  just  claim  to  his  mercy,  and 
the  like.  It  does  not  require  us  to  condemn  ourselves 
beyond  reason,  nor  to  keep  out  of  view  those  new  char- 


296  CONVERSION. 

acteristics  which  we  may  possess,  through  grace.  Christ 
was  meek  and  lowly  of  heart,  but  he  did  not  therefore 
disbelieve  in  every  thing  approvable  in  his  own  charac- 
ter. It  is  pleasant  to  see  one  arrayed  in  robes  of  whose 
moral  beauty  he  is  unconscious — for  then  we  are  sure 
that  pride  is  absent;  but  the  loveliness  and  power  of 
piety  do  not  consist  in  such  unconsciousness,  else  they 
would  be  lost  in  heaven,  where  every  saint  knows  him- 
self, even  as  he  is  known  by  others.  And  while  such  a 
supposed  attainment  might  excite  the  pride  of  the  sinner, 
it  always  must  fail  with  the  Christian  who  well  knows 
that  what  he  possesses  is  a  mere  gift,  and  that  he  not 
only  falls  far  short  of  the  high  mark  set  before  him, 
but  is  continually,  by  sin,  making  occasions  for  self- 
reproach. 

/.  I  am  satisfied. 

P.  Then  act  upon  these  principles  while  we  recapitu- 
late some  of  the  points  we  have  been  investigating.  I 
understand  that  you  are  now  conscious  that  the  right  of 
God  as  your  Creator  is  sufficient  of  itself,  whenever  you 
contemplate  it,  to  induce  you  to  resolve  to  obey  him? 

I.  It  is  sufficient. 

P.  And  that,  when  you  contemplate  the  character  of 
G-od  it  looks  pleasant  and  desirable;  and  when  you 
regard  his  glory,  you  have  a  desire  and  purpose  to  en- 
deavor to  promote  it  by  avoiding  whatever  you  are 
persuaded  he  would  disapprove,  by  dispatching  whatever 
work  he  has  assigned  you  in  life,  and  by  observing  his 
commands  in  well-doing  toward  mankind? 

/.  Yes. 

P.  Then  you  are  converted  to  God,  in  a  new  purpose 
and  new  desires  for  him  I 


ASSURANCE.  297 

/.  Yes;  I  will  dismiss  my  fears,  and  admit  this  fair 
conclusion. 

P,  You  would  not  doubt  my  promise  when  seriously 
made,  and  on  a  matter  where  it  could  be  readily  per- 
formed ? 

/.  Indeed  I  should  not. 

P.  How  much  more  confident  should  you  be  in  respect 
to  the  promise  of  Christ,  the  all-truthful  and  all-powerful ! 
He  has  promised  to  accept  those  who  are  converted,  to 
remit  their  sins,  to  keep  them  to  the  end,  and  to  confer 
on  them  eternal  life.— Acts  3:19;  John  10:28;  Heb. 
6 : 9.  Having  been  converted  through  his  grace,  the 
promise  attaches  to  you ;  and  you  stand  in  reference  to 
it  precisely  as  though  he  should  now  address  you  by 
name  from  heaven,  and  assure  you  of  his  favor. 

/.  Yes ;  the  promise,  I  do  believe,  applies  to  me. 

P.  And  you  do  now  cast  yourself  entirely  on  Christ 
for  remission  of  sins,  and  for  eternal  life  ? 

/.  I  do.     I  hope  in  him,  and  in  him  alone. 

P.  And  as  you  cannot  doubt  his  veracity  or  power, 
and  as  you  are  fully  confident,  fi-om  the  evidence  of 
your  own  consciousness,  that  you  have  yielded  to  the 
authority  of  God — ^you  can  now  trust  in  Christ,  with  a 
full  assurance  that  he  has  remitted  your  sins,  and  that 
he  will  give  you  eternal  life  ? 

/.  I  can,  and  do. 

P.  "He  which  hath  begun  a  good  work  in  you,  will 
finish  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ." — Phil.  1 :  6.  By 
conversion  to  Christ  you  have  now  become  one  of  his 
disciples,  or  a  Christian;  by  receiving  him  and  his  truth 
with  such  confidence,  you  have  reached  the  assurance  of 
faith ;  and  by  undoubtingly  trusting  in  Christ,  you  have 


298  CONVERSION. 

attained  tlie  full  assurance  of  hope.  ''And  we  desire,' 
says  the  apostle,  "that  you  show  the  same  dihgence,  to 
[the  preservation  of]  the  full  assurance  of  hope  unto 
the  end."— Heb.  6 :  11.  The  subject  of  "growing  in 
grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour, 
[our  Sovereign,  and  Deliverer,]  Jesus  Christ,"  will  be 
pursued  in  the  next  chapter.  In  the  holy  confidence  of 
your  heart,  ever  rest  upon  him  for  strength  and  victory ! 

I.  With  his  aid,  I  will.  I  cannot  express  my  sur- 
prise, my  gratitude,  my  love  to  Christ  for  that  matchless 
kindness  which  has  plucked  me  as  a  brand  from  the 
burning,  which  has  brought  me  up  out  of  the  horrible 
pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  has  set  my  foot  upon  a 
rock,  and  has  established  my  goings !  To  God  be  all 
the  praise  and  glory! 

P.  "Eejoice  in  the  Lord  alway;  and  again  I  say, 
Kejoice!" — Phil.  4:4.  And  who  should  rejoice,  if  the 
servants  of  the  great  King  cannot?  Now,  Almighty 
power  is  pledged  that  all  things  shall  work  together  for 
your  "good. — Eom.  8 :  28.  It  has  been  truly  said  that 
the  exercise  of  goodness,  wisdom,  and  power  by  another 
who  is  pledged  to  use  it  in  our  behalf,  and  who  is  com- 
petent and  faithful,  is  of  the  same  value  to  us  as  if  we 
possessed  and  exercised  it  for  ourselves;  and  as  the 
infinite  goodness,  wisdom,  and  power  of  God  is  so 
pledged  for  us,  it  is  the  same  as  though  we  possessed 
them  ourselves.  Thus  have  you  already  become  an 
"heir  of  God,  and  joint-heir  with  Christ." — Rom.  8 :  IT. 

I.  0,  may  I  always  walk  in  the  paths  of  holy  love 
and  obedience,  ,that  I  may  ever  show  my  gratitude  for 
such  disinterested  goodness ! 

P,  The  Holy  Spirit  Will  aid  you  to  accomplish  that 


ASSURANCE.  299 

desire.  Let  not  the  cares  and  evils  of  life  press  hard 
upon  your  spirits,  for  life  is  short,  and  its  rapid  flight  is 
hastening  you  to  the  rest  of  eternal  glory  and  blessed- 
ness. Be  faithful;  and  when  you  reach  the  last  of 
earth,  Christ  will  enable  you  to  say,  "Yea,  though  I  walk 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear 
no  evil:  for  thou  art  with  me;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff 
they  comfort  me." — Ps.  23 : 4.  Christ  has  gone  before 
us,  marking  his  pathway  in  blood;  and  we  shall  find 
the  footing  as  firm  beyond,  as  on  this  side  the  grave. 
God  rewards  in  order  that,  in  the  everlasting  "ages 
to  come,  he  might  show  the  exceeding  riches  of  his 
grace  in  his  kindness  towards  us  through  Christ  Jesus" 
(Eph.  2:7);  and  we  may  be  sure  that  he  will  recom- 
pense like  one  possessed  of  inexhaustible  stores  I  This 
privilege  was  purchased  with  the  life  of  his  own  Son ; 
and  he  is  only  awaiting  his  own  good  time  in  which  to 
exercise  it  without  measure.  He  has  prepared  for  you 
a  mansion — it  is  a  glorious  one!  He  has  made  ready 
a  robe  of  righteousness — it  is  a  spotless  one !  He  h^ 
laid  by  for  you  a  crown — and  it  is  a  brilliant  one  I 
In  that  mansion  shall  you  ever  find  shelter  from  sin 
and  sorrow ; — within  the  folds  of  that  robe  shall  all  your 
guilt  be  covered; — with  that  crown  shall  you  reign 
with  him  for  ever  and  ever! 

/.  I  can  hardly  find  language  in  which  to  express  the 
feelings  of  my  overflowing  heart ! 

"Sweet  visions  these  that  cheer  our  way, 
And  lead  our  weary  spirits  on: 
As  sunbeams  in  a  wintry  day — 
So  bright,  so  beautiful  are  they! 
But  not  so  quickly  gone. 


800  CONVEESION. 

"And  faith  shall  shortly  yield  to  sight, 
And  we  shall  gnin  that  pleasant  land; 
Shall  tread  those  boundless  fields  of  light, 
Drink  of  that  stream  of  pure  delight. 
And  near  our  Saviour"  stand." 


CHAPTER  X. 


PERSEVERANCE. 


Pastor.  My  friend,  you  have  now  entered  upon  tlie 
Christian  warfare;  and  before  you  are  the  prizes  of 
glory,  honor,  immortality,  and  eternal  life. — Kom.  2 :  7. 
The  pursuit  of  these  will  subject  you  to  no  charge  of 
mercenariness,  for  they  are  virtuous  rewards  for  a  holy 
life; — rewards  which  our  heavenly  Father  delights  to 
confer.  "Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the  sin 
[unbelief]  which  doth  so  easily  beset  us,  and  let  us 
run  with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us,  look- 
ing unto  Jesus  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith." — 
Heb.  12 : 1,  2. 

Inquirer.  God  grant  that  I  may  "so  run  as  to  obtain." 
— 1  Cor.  9 :  24.  I  can  place  no  dependence  on  myself  for 
steadfastness;  but  "I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ 
which  strengtheneth  me." — Phil.  4 :  13.  My  greatest 
dread  is  to  fall  into  sin. 

P.  A  wholesome  fear  will  tend  to  keep  you  on  your 
guard  against  temptation.  "Wherefore  let  him  that 
thinketh  he  standeth,  take  heed  lest  he  fall.  There  hath 
no  temptation  taken  you  but  such  as  is  common  to 
man ;  but  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer  you  to  be 
tempted  above  that  ye  are  able;  but  will  with  the 
temptation  also  make  a  way  to  escape,  that  ye  may  be 
able  to  bear  it.''— 1  Cor.  10: 12,  13. 
26 


802  CONVERSION. 

/.  How  inexpressibly  good  is  CliristI  I  need  much 
instruction  in  the  way  of  life. 

P.  We  are  free  agents  in  all  our  religious  conduct ; 
due  knowledge  is,  therefore,  as  indispensable  to  our  pro- 
gress in  this,  as  in  any  other  pursuit;  and  consequently 
when  it  is  enjoined  upon  us  to  "grow  in  grace,"  we  are 
also  commanded  to  grow  "in  the  knowledge  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ." — 2  Pet.  8 :  18.  As  has 
been  remarked,  a  reliance  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  for  light 
and  strength  is  not  only  necessary  for  us,  but  is  an  act 
of  due  honor  to  him.  But  it  is  important  to  observe 
that,  in  the  language  of  Arrowsmith,  "the  things  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  discovers,  are  no  other  for  substance 
but  those  very  things  which  are  contained  in  the  written 
word;  only  he  affords  regenerate  persons  clearer  light 
to  discern  them  by,  than  they  had  before  conversion. 
Turn  a  learned  man  to  the  same  author  which  he  pe- 
rused when  a  young  student ;  he  will  find  the  self-same 
matter,  but  see  a  great  deal  further  into  it."  He  draws 
his  people  after  God,  by  the  use  of  adequate  motives 
addressed  to  minds  that  have  become  sensitive  to  his 
gracious  influences;  or,  in  his  own  language,  "I  drew 
them  with  cords  of  a  man,  with  bands  of  love." — Hos. 
11:4. 

/.  And  by  such  means,  the  Spirit  acts  in  entire  con- 
sistency with  our  own  free  agency. 

P.  Some,  who  do  not  understand  this  fact,  attempt  to 
depose  upon  the  Spirit  the  duties  which  belong  to  them- 
selves; and  as  he  will  not  assume"  them,  many,  as  a 
consequence,  fail  of  eternal  life.  But  others  who  un- 
derstand that,  as  "laborers  together  with  God"  (1  Cor. 
8 : 9)  they  have  their  own  separate  work  to  do,  devote 


PEBSEVERANCE.  308 

themselves  to  it  as  earnestly  as  if  every  thing  depended 
on  themselves ;  and  they  reap  the  blessed  fruits. 

I.  In  what  does  the  Christian  warfare  consist? 

P.  It  consists  in  the  observance  of  the  third  principle 
laid  down  by  our  Lord,  in  the  terms  of  discipleship 
already  referred  to — namely,  "to  take  up  his  cross 
daily." — Luke  9 :  23.  The  cross  was  an  instrument  of 
death ;  and  to  take  it  up  daily,  is  to  sacrifice  every  selfish 
project  as  it  may  arise  in  the  heart,  on  the  altar  of  duty 
to  God ;  to  resist  every  inducement  to  sin ;  and  to  deny 
every  evil  thought,  afiection,  and  action,  as  urged  by 
remaining  corruption.  In  order  to  this,  the  authority 
of  God  must  be  maintained  in  active  supremacy  over 
the  will,  and  his  glory  as  a  supreme  attraction  to  the 
affections.  Said  the  apostle,  "I  therefore  so  run,  not 
as  uncertainly ;  so  fight  I,  not  as  one  that  beateth  the 
air  [without  any  clear  or  definite  object];  but  I  keep 
under  my  body  [my  selfish  desires  and  aims],  and  bring 
it  into  subjection  [to  the  will  of  God] ;  lest  that  by  any 
means  when  I  have  preached  to  others,  I  myself  should 
be  a  cast-away."-  1  Cor.  9 :  26,  27.  Thus  a  holy  fear 
also  stimulated  him  as  he  pressed  "toward  the  mark 
for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 
—Phil.  3 :  14. 

/.  If  Paul  indulged  in  such  apprehensions,  they  surely 
wiU  not  be  groundless  in  us;  and  how  wary  should  we 
be!     I  feel  like  a  mere  child  in  the  school  of  Christ. 

P.  Have  a  child's  teachableness  and  docility  of  will 
in  respect  to  the  truths  of  revelation,  and  you  will  not 
fail  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — Luke  18:17. 

I.  What  is  precisely  intended  by  obedience  to  God  ? 

P,  It  has  been  defined  while  speaking  of  conversion 


304  CONVERSION. 

in  the  last  chapter.  I  will  observe,  however,  that  obe- 
dience is  a  peculiar  act  in  respect  to  the  motive  that 
produces  it.  It  implies  a  subordination  to  authority, 
to  the  exclusion  of  every  other  inconsistent  considera- 
tion. As,  if  I  command  my  child  to  do  a  certain  act, 
and  he  does  it  for  some  private  reason  of  his  own,  such 
as  getting  money  from  me;  this  would  not  be  an  act 
of  obedience  to  me^  for  it  would  not  be  done  in  observ- 
ance of  my  parental  authority. 

/.  Yes;  I  perceive  that  obedience  can  only  be  where 
the  right  of  a  superior  to  command  is  recognized  and 
acted  upon  as  the  motive. 

P.  And  therefore  obedience  to  God  is  an  act  done  in 
pursuance  of  his  commands,  and  from  respect  to  his  right 
to  command.  To  do  a  commanded  act  because  it  seems 
prudent  or  politic,  is  not  obedience  to  God^  but  is  in 
observance  of  the  dictates  of  prudence  or  policy.  You 
will  notice  that  the  Christian,  having  truly  obeyed  in 
will,  is  entitled  through  grace  to  hope  in  the  mercy,  and 
for  the  glory  of  God;  and  as  this  is  in  accordance  with 
the  divine  will,  he  does  not  vitiate  any  future  act  by 
observing  his  commands  from  the  combined  motives 
of  his  creative  right,  and  the  hope  of  his  pardoning 
grace,  and  glory.  But  still,  when  his  attention  is  turned 
to  the  point,  he  finds  himself  able  to  lay  aside  his  hope 
as  a  motive,  and  to  act  solely  in  view  of  such  right  of 
God;  for  the  latter  remains  as  sufficient  a  motive  of 
itself,  as  at  the  beginning  of  his  service  before  he  indulged 
a  hope.  Whereas,  the  unconverted  mind  cannot  lay  its 
hopes  aside  until  compelled  to  do  so  as  we  have  seen ; 
and  it  never  acts  under  the  influence  of  the  right  of 
God  until  it  reaches  conversion;  and  hence  the  sinner, 


PERSEVEKANCE.  305 

in  doing  what  God  commands,  never  acts  because  he 
commands,  however  confident  he  may  be  to  the  con- 
trary, while  stimulated  by  hope  or  fear. 

/.  I  am  aware  that  tlie  creative  rights  of  God,  and 
the  selfish  hope  of  the  sinner,  are  morally  opposite 
motives;  and  my  own  experience  abundantly  satisfies 
me  that,  being  exclusively  under  the  power  of  his  hope, 
it  will  exclude  the  influence  of  the  former.  He  may 
know  t\iQ.i  God  commands  an  act,  but  he  cannot  then 
enter  upon  it  in  the  least  degree  because  he  commands  it. 
What  is  intended  by  submission  to  God  ? 

P.  Submission  is  the  act  of  the  mind  in  yielding 
to  the  authority  of  God,  in  order  to  obedience.  The 
latter  is  the  continued  observance  of  the  will  of  God, 
while  the  former  is  the  consent  of  the  will  to  the  divine 
rule  under  which  obedience  is  pursued.  In  respect  to 
the  sinner's  desires  for  his  selfish  happiness,  it  implies 
their  entire  abandonment  by  self-denial ;  so  that,  in  the 
original  act  of  submission,  they  exert  no  influence  what- 
ever over  his  will.  In  respect  to  his  desires  to  avoid 
punishment — desires  which  can  never  be  obliterated,  or 
made  otherwise  than  averse  to  pain — it  implies  a  sus- 
pension of  their  influence  also,  so  that  they  shall  then 
exert  no  motive  power.  The  idea  of  the  authority  of 
God,  standing  thus  alone  and  being  consequently  the 
strongest  present  motive,  subdues  the  will;  the  sinner 
yields  thereto  without  question  or  debate,  and  notwith- 
standing whatever  evil  may  occur  to  himself.  By  these 
means,  the  authority  of  God  acquires  through  the  inter- 
mediation of  the  conscience,  the  supremacy  over  the  will, 
and  the  constitutional  desires  for  happiness  and  against 
pain  are,  when  they  revive,  reduced  to  subordination  to 
26* 


306  CONVERSION. 

it;  so  that  should  God  command  any  duty,  however 
onerous  to  the  flesh,  and  even  though  it  led  to  death 
itself,  his  authority  would  suffice  to  produce  obedience 
under  the  grace  of  his  Spirit. 

I.  This  explains  the  principle  on  which  Bunyan  acted 
in  the  Bedford  jail,  while  in  constant  fear  and  even 
certainty  of  death,  unless  he  renounced  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel.  His  desire  of  happiness  and  anxiety  to 
avoid  banishment  from  God,  made  him  reluctant  to  en- 
counter that  danger,  with  no  prospect  of  security ;  and 
he  thought  if  God  would  only  give  him  an  evidence 
of  his  favor,  he  would  not  hesitate  in  following  the  path 
of  duty.  But  no  such  evidence  could  he  obtain;  and 
he  was  compelled  to  take  it  for  granted  that  God  might, 
after  all,  banish  him  according  to  his  deserts;  and  he 
was  thrown  back  upon  the  simple  question,  whether 
he  would  obey  the  command  of  God,  whatever  might 
be  the  consequences.  One  of  his  commentators  re- 
marks, that  for  many  weeks  poor  Bunyan  knew  not 
what  to  do ;  till  at  length  it  came  to  him  with  great 
power  that  at  all  events,  it  being  for  the  word  and 
way  of  God  that  he  was  in  this  condition  of  danger, 
perhaps  in  the  path  of  death,  he  was  engaged  not  to 
flinch  an  hair's  breadth  from  it.  Bunyan  thought 
furthermore  that  it  was  for  God  to  choose  whether  he 
would  give  him  comfort  then,  or  in  the  hour  of  death, 
or  whether  he  would  or  would  not  give  him  comfort  in 
either,  or  comfort  at  all ;  but  it  was  not  for  Bunyan  to 
choose  whether  to  serve  God  or  not,  for  to  this  he  was 
bound.  He  was  bound,  but  God  was  free.  "Yea," 
says  he,  "  it  was  my  duty  to  stand  to  his  word,  whether 
he  would  ever  look  upon  me,  or  save  me  at  the  last,  or 


PEBSEVERANCE.  307 

not;  wherefore,  thought  I,  the  point  being  thus,  I  am 
for  going  on,  and  venturing  my  eternal  state  with  Christ, 
whether  I  have  comfort  here  or  no.  If  God  doth  not 
come  in,  thought  I,  I  will  leap  off  the  ladder  even  blind- 
fold into  eternity,  sink  or  swim,  come  heaven,  come 
hell.  Lord  Jesus,  if  thou  wilt  catch  me,  do;  if  not,  I 
will  venture  for  thy  name!" 

P.  Well  done,  noble  Bunyan !  that  commentator  justly 
adds.  Now,  had  he  paltered  with  duty  until  he  could 
have  become  assured  of  his  own  safety  ultimately,  this 
commendation  would  have  been  as  undeserved  as  his 
dereliction  from  principle  would  have  been  evident. 

I.  Yes.  And  such  was  my  own  position  for  many 
years,  in  respect  to  God.  I  wanted  my  own  will,  in 
regard  to  myself,  to  prevail  over  his  will;  but  now  I 
prefer  the  will  of  God  to  my  own,  and  my  preferences 
tend  to  whatever  he  may  direct  or  permit. 

P.  As  your  desires  now  coincide  with  your  conscience 
for  God,  vou  can  act  under  the  influence  of  both  in 
repeating  your  submission,  "It  is  the  Lord,  let  him  do 
what  seemeth  him  good."  It  is,  as  has  been  remarked, 
the  peculiarity  of  the  Christian  that,  when  doubts  and 
fears  assail,  he  can  retreat  to  the  divine  sovereignty  and 
submit  himself  unreservedly  to  God,  and  find  sweet 
consolation  in  the  fact  that  God  reigns  and  that  his  holy 
pleasure  will  be  accomplished  in  all  things..  Of  aU 
others,  this  state  of  heart  is  the  most  delightful  as  well 
as  ennobling;  it  is  one  which  selfishness,  though  pos- 
sessed of  all  its  aims,  could  never  afford. 

/.  As  I  well  know  by  experience.  All  my  peace 
heretofore  has  resulted  from  a  hope  of  my  own  safety; 
and  I  was  so  consummately  selfish  as  to  look  upon  the 


308  CONVERSION. 

greatest  afflictions,  even  sncli  as  the  death  of  friends,  as 
designed  to  chasten  me,  and  so  an  evidence  of  the  favor 
of  God — and  to  take  comfort  in  the  thought — which 
was  called  resignation  to  the  will  of  God!  How  dif- 
ferent is  that  beautiful  appeal  of  the  Psalmist  to  his 
own  soul  under  trials:  "Why  art  thou  cast  down,  0 
my  soul?  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me? 
Hope  thou  in  God;  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him,  who 
is  the  health  of  my  countenance,  and  my  God." — Ps. 
42 :  11.  In  submission,  are  we  required  to  consent  to 
become  unholy,  if  it  be  the  will  of  God  ? 

P.  The  act  of  unreserved  submission  to  the  will  of 
God,  is  itself  a  renunciation  of  unholiness;  and  conse- 
quently in  it  the  sinner  impliedly  consents  not  to  remain 
unholy.  God  never  wills  that  any  of  his  moral  crea- 
tures, not  excepting  Satan  himself,  should  consent  to  be 
unholy;  and  hence  no  such  contingency  can  arise.  The 
penalty  of  the  law  is  pain^  not  unholiness.  The  latter 
is  the  crime  for  which  the  former  is  inflicted ;  as  rebel- 
lion against  an  earthly  ruler  is  the  crime  for  which  the 
pain  of  death  is  imposed  by  human  laws.  It  would 
seem  strange  for  one  condemned  for  rebellion  against  a 
civil  government,  and  who  was  required  to  yield  himself 
implicitly  to  the  authority  of  his  sovereign,  to  inquire 
whether  he  was  bound  to  consent  to  continue  in  his 
rebellion  I  And  especially  so,  if  he  should  so  earnestly 
object  to  consenting  as  to  make  it  a  point  with  his  sov- 
ereign !  We  should  suspect  that  there  was  some  secret 
and  sinister  consideration  or  plan  in  his  mind,  which  he 
attempted  to  effect  by  that  stratagem. 

/.  Certainly  we  should,  for  his  sovereign's  will  and 
his  duty  would  be  too  plain  to  be  mistaken.      His  ex- 


PERSEVERANCE.  309, 

ceptioTi  of  remaining  in  rebellion  would  be  barefaced 
hypocrisy,  since  his  heart  would  obviously  be  on  con- 
tinuing in  it.  I  should  imagine  that  it  was  a  plan  to 
secure  a  present  confidence  of  pardon,  by  a  seeming 
prearrangement  for  his  future  loyalty;  by  which  he 
would  be  able,  as  he  supposed,  to  bias  his  sovereign's 
will,  and  submit  with  safety  to  his  authority.  This  would 
surely  exclude  true  submission. 

P.  Your  inference  would  be  just;  and  it  explains 
what  many  sinners  mean  by  raising  the  same  point  in 
respect  to  consenting  to  remain  unholy  in  their  submis- 
sion to  God.  Not  a  few,  assuming  that  they  are  already 
Christians  and  that  the  will  of  God  is  favorable  toward 
them,  urge  that  they  are  now  hound  to  except  unholiness 
in  their  submission ;  and  under  color  of  that  name,  they 
really  except  their  own  selfish  will  and  desires,  and  so 
remain  in  moral  opposition  to  him,  with  a  hope.  And 
even  Christians  are  often  misled  by  their  arguments. 

I.  I  know  that,  in  my  selfish  state,  such  an  attempt 
would  have  been  merely  a  means  of  excepting  my 
punishment  for  unholiness;  for  I  now  find  that  I  had 
no  real  opposition  to  the  thing  itself.  I  am  glad  that  I 
gave  up  every  thing  to  the  will  of  God,  making  no 
terms;  for  by  so  doing,  I  have  become  opposed  to  sin 
in  heart,  and  can  discard  unholiness  in  reality. 

P.  In  every  exigency,  and  indeed  at  all  times,  accus- 
tom yourself  to  yield  your  all  unreservedly  to  him; 
then  you  will  be  furtherest  from  unholiness;  and  on 
that  foundation  your  hope  in  Christ  will  become  the 
brightest,  your  joys  in  the  Lord  the  strongest,  and  your 
activity  in  the  duties  of  piety  the  most  decided.     **The 


810  '  CONVERSION. 

Lord  reigneth,  let  the  earth  rejoice;  let  the  multitude 
of  isles  be  glad  thereof."' — Ps.  97 : 1. 

/.  What  is  intended  by  evangelical  repentance? 

P.  Repentance  consists  in  the  opposition  of  the  heart 
to  sin  because  it  is  in  disobedience  to  God,  and  therefore 
wrong.  It  exists  in  two  forms — namely,  as  a  volition, 
.and  as  an  affection.  As  a  volition^  it  is  the  honest  pur- 
pose to  avoid  sin  produced  by  the  idea  of  the  authority 
of  God.  The  original  {metanoia)  signifies  a  change  of 
mind ;  a  change  of  one's  mode  of  thinking,  feeling,  and 
acting;  a  pursuit  of  an  after-thought  in  reforming  one's 
life;  a  change  in  opinion  followed  by  a  change  in 
purpose  and  action;  attaining  to  a  right  use  of  one's 
senses.  Our  Lord  (Matt.  21 :  28,  29)  exemplified  re- 
pentance as  a  volition,  by  the  case  of  a  parent  exercising 
his  authority  over  his  son  by  commanding  him  to  go 
and  work;  he  refused  to  obey,  but  afterwards  repented, 
that  is,  recognized  the  right  of  his  father  to  command, 
and  resolved  to  disobey  him  no  more,  and  went  to  his 
work.  He  did  the  will  of  his  father  in  respect  both  to 
his  motive  and  purposed  conduct.  The  repentance  of 
the  prodigal  son  is  intimated  by  the  expression,  "and 
when  he  came  to  himself"  (Luke  15 :  17),  when  he  came 
to  a  right  use  of  his  senses  in  respect  to  his  conduct,  and 
duty  to  his  father.  Repentance  as  an  affection,  consists 
in  hatred  to  sin  when  its  criminality  is  perceived;  disgust 
in  view  of  its  moral  deformity  and  odiousness;  dislike 
to  selfishness  in  self  and  in  others,  and  abhorrence  of 
self  on  account  of  it;  and  sorrow  over  sin  in  view  of 
its  opposition  to  the  infinite  goodness  of  God. 

I.  I  am  reminded  of  the  complaint  of  the  missionaries 
to  the  Siamese,  "that  they  had  no  word  in  their  Ian- 


PERSEVERANCE.  311 

guage  to  indicate  repentance,"  (meaning-  that  they  have 
none  for  the  affection^)  "but  that  the  term  used  by  them 
signified  only  a  change  of  purpose."  It  seems  they  had 
one  for  repentance  as  a  volition^  at  least. 

P.  Yes;  and  if  they  should  exercise  it  toward  God 
in  that  sense,  they  would  be  saved.  Eepentance  as  a 
volition  is  the  form  in  which  repentance,  when  it.  is  his 
first  act,  is  exercised  by  the  sinner;  and  it  is  always 
followed  by  repentance  as  an  affection  of  sorrow  for  sin 
and  the  like,  as  soon  as  the  true  character  of  sin  is  con- 
templated. The  latter  stands  to  the  former  in  the  rela- 
tion of  an  effect  to  a  cause ;  and  repentance  as  a  purpose 
must,  like  every  other  cause,  precede  its  effect. 

J.  On  the  contrary,  I  always  supposed  that  sorrow  for 
sin  must  precede  and  produce  the  purpose  of  reform, 
when  repentance  was  the  first  act  of  the  sinner. 

P.  Sinners  take  that  view  from  the  habit  of  being 
always  moved  by  preceding  selfish  affections,  and  from 
the  encouragement  it  affords  them  of  having  feelings  as 
evidence  that  they  may  proceed  with  safety  and  in  a 
manner  to  please  Christ.  Christians  also  are  prone  to 
adopt  the  same  view,  because  they  overlook  the  mode 
in  which  sorrow  for  sin  first  arose  in  their  own  hearts, 
and  being  themselves  accustomed  to  act  from  the  im- 
pulse of  holy  hatred  to  sin,  they  imagine,  without  reflec- 
tion, that  sinners  do  so  also.  Where  sin  is  openly 
acknowledged  by  the  sinner,  evincing  a  knowledge  of 
the  command  of  God  forbidding  its  commission  and  a 
consciousness  of  criminality  in  perpetrating  it,  and  when 
he  forsakes  it  by  an  observed  determination  to  depart 
from  it,  from  the  motive  of  its  being  so  forbidden,  it  is 
true  repentance  as  a  volition ;  and  the  Holy  Spirit  declares 


812  CONVERSION. 

he  shall  have  mercy. — Prov.  28 :  18.  And  when  he  after- 
wards contemplates  his  selfish  heart  and  sinful  conduct, 
repentance  as  an  affection  will  be  spontaneously  exer- 
cised ;  for  by  the  first  act,  ill-will  toward  sin  is  produced, 
which  will  necessarily  evince  itself  subsequently  in  the 
livelier  state  of  an  affection. 

I.  And  yet  many,  in  explaining  that  passage,  act  as 
if  the  Spirit  did  not  understand  mental  philosophy  or 
had  made  a  defective  communication  of  his  views;  for 
they  insist  that  the  sinner  must  have  sorrow  in  the 
first  instance,  and  that  the  purpose  to  forsake  sin  must 
be  produced  by  it. 

P.  That  is,  sorrow  for  sin  must  be  exercised  before 
the  sinner  has  any  ill-will  toward  it  as  sin !  A  second- 
ary exercise  must  precede  a  primary !  We  might  smile 
at  this  were  it  not  that  sinners  are  hindered,  and  many 
of  them,  doubtless,  sent  to  perdition  by  it.  If  one  was 
causelessly  injuring  you,  what  would  you  naturally 
require  of  him  first? 

L  That  he  should  stop  immediately. 

P.  And  for  such  a  reason  as  would  always  restrain 
him;  that  is,  because  his  conduct  was  wrong  and  unjus- 
tifiable toward  you? 

I.  Yes;  that  should  and  would  influence  him,  if  he 
was  honest  in  forming  such  a  determination. 

P.  That,  then,  would  be  repentance  toward  you  as  a 
volition.  But  would  you  not  expect,  if  he  was  honest 
in  that  purpose,  to  see  him  become  sorry  for  having 
causelessly  wronged  you,  whenever  you  should  present 
the  subject  in  a  proper  light? 

/.  I  certainly  should. 

P.  That  would  be  the  resulting  repentance  as  an 


PERSEVERANCE.  813 

affection.  This  form  of  it,  will  naturally  reproduce 
still  more  determined  resolutions  of  reform  in  every 
respect;  tliat  is,  renewed  repentance  as  a  volition. 

/.  This  is  all  very  natural. 

P.  And  such  is  the  description  given  by  the  apostle 
(2  Cor.  7 :  10,  11)  in  his  remarks  to  those  who  had 
already  exercised  repentance  as  a  volition,  and  who 
consequently  were  in  the  exercise  of  it  as  an  affection. 
"For  godly  sorrow  [that  which  springs  from  a  good- 
will to  God  wounded  by  a  sense  of  sin,  or  repentance 
as  an  affection]  worketh  repentance  [purposes  of  reform] 
to  salvation  not  to  be  repented  of  [not  to  be  retracted 
nor  regretted].  For  behold  this  self-same  thing,  that  ye 
sorrowed  after  a  godly  sort,  what  carefulness  it  wrought 
in  you,  yea,  what  clearing  of  yourselves,  yea,  what 
indignation  [against  sin,  and  against  yourselves  on  ac- 
count of  it],  yea,  what  fear,  yea,  what  vehement  desire 
[for  purification],  yea,  what  zeal,  yea,  what  revenge!" 

I.  Wherein  does  this  differ  from  false  repentance,  or 
the  sorrow  of  the  world  ? 

P.  True  and  false  repentance  differ  in  respect  to  their 
external  motives;  in  respect  to  the  internal  motive  in- 
fluences which  produce  the  first  act  of  repentance ;  and 
in  respect  to  the  feelings  which  result.  In  the  first 
place,  true  repentance  is  produced  by  the  motive  of  the 
rights  of  God  over  the  sinner,  or,  which  is  the  same 
thing,  by  a  view  of  the  wrong  of  his  conduct  in  vio- 
lating his  obligations  to  God;  whereas  false  repentance 
is  produced  by  a  view  of  some  evil  consequence  of  sin 
to  himself,  and  by  the  fears  thereby  excited.  In  the  next 
place,  true  repentance  as  a  volition,  when  the  original 
act,  is  produced  by  the  motive  impulse  of  the  conscience, 
27 


314  CONVERSION. 

dissuading  him  from  further  disobedience  because  of  its 
being  so  wrong  against  God ;  whereas  false  repentance 
is  produced  by  the  motive  influence  of  his  desires  for 
his  own  safety  and  peace,  to  be  accomplished,  as  he 
supposes,  by  renouncing  his  evil  waj^s.  In  the  last  place, 
in  true  repentance  all  the  feelings  of  regret,  sorrow, 
hatred,  and  the  like,  described  by  the  apostle,  are  exer- 
cised in  view  of  the  intrinsic  impropriety  of  sin,  and 
produce  more  determined  purposes  to  avoid  it  in  every 
known  case;  whereas  those  feelings  in  false  repentance 
are  chiefly  exercised  in  view  of  the  danger  which  sin 
has  produced,  and  the  folly  of  having  committed  it  at 
such  a  risk.  Conscience  has  not  obtained  the  suprem- 
acy; but,  though  enslaved  to  selfishness,  it  still  pours 
remorse  through  the  soul ;  and  such  feelings  produce  at 
one  time  stronger  desires  and  purposes  to  avoid  sin  in 
order  to  escape  perdition,  and  under  other  circum- 
stances, they  render  life  an  intolerable  burden. 

/.  Do  the  Scriptures  speak  of  this  false  repentance? 

P.  Yery  often ;  as  in  the  passage  last  cited,  where  the 
apostle  declares,  "but  the  sorrow  of  the  world  worketh 
death."  And  such  was,  for  example,  the  repentance  of 
Judas. — Matt.  27 :  3.  The  term  there  used  {metamelomai\ 
intends  the  change  of  one's  mind  from  a  painful  and 
therefore  selfish  motive;  and  also  a  feeling  of  sorrow  in 
view  of  one's  miserable  condition,  and  remorse  in  view 
of  his  conduct.  The  self-reproaches  of  Judas,  therefore, 
instead  of  leading  him  to  renounce  sin  as  unholy,  and 
to  submit  to  God,  drove  him  into  the  greatest  of  all 
sins  in  the  vain  search  for  relief. 

I.  This  makes  the  selfish  and  morally  worthless  char- 
acter of  his  repentance  perfectly  evident.     Alasl   what 


PERSEVERANCE.  815 

multitudes  are,  I  apprehend,  depending  upon  similar 
false  repentance  for  their  eternal  welfare! 

P.  And  by  scrutinizing  your  own  experience,  you 
can  discover  the  reason  why  repentance  is  so  apt  to  be 
selfish  and  spurious,  and  why  true  repentance  is,  compar- 
atively, so  seldom  reached.  Every  effort  to  excite  sor- 
row for  sin,  was  in  vain  for  the  reason  before  given — 
namely,  that  it  is  a  secondary  exercise,  one  which  must 
be  preceded  by  ill-will  to  sin  produced  by  a  right  pur- 
pose to  abstain  from  it.  And  again,  every  effort  for 
such  a  right  purpose  was  prompted  by  your  desires  to 
escape  punishment  by  means  of  it;  and  even  when  you 
placed  the  idea  of  the  rightful  authority  of  God  before 
your  mind  and  endeavored  to  act  from  it  in  resolving, 
you  was  actuated  in  that  very  endeavor  by  those  more 
remote  selfish  desires,  which  necessarily  prevented  that 
idea  from  becoming  a  motive. 

/.  And. yet  every  sinner  imagines  that  the  only  way 
to  obtain  a  holy  motive  is  to  present  one  before  his 
mind  and  endeavor  to  act  from  it. 

P.  When  the  desires  are  already  enlisted  in  favor  of 
the  general  subject  to  which  the  motive  relates,  it  will 
become  influential,  on  such  a  presentation  of  it,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  power  of  the  desires ;  but  when  no  such 
favorable  desires  exist,  the  idea  thus  presented  and 
urged  will  be  powerless  to  move  the  will.  A  failure  to 
notice  this  radical  difference  leads  many  persons  to  think 
that  they  have  adopted  holy  motives,  while  in  fact  they 
are  influenced,  as  before,  by  their  selfish  desires,  and  the 
supposed  holy  motive  is  merely  a  new  channel  through 
which  they  are  gratified,  and  from  which  it  derives  all 
its  supposed  power.      The  influence  of  the   opposing 


816  OONVEKSION. 

desires  must  be  suspended,  before  the  new  moral  mo- 
tive can  successfully  control  the  will;  and  until  then 
every  purpose  and  feeling  will  be  worldly  and  selfish. 
And  what  is  more,  no  sinner  can  ever  deny  himself 
purposely  to  obtain  such  new  motive,  for  the  effort  Avill 
be  dictated  by  his  selfish  heart,  and  so  effect  no  self- 
denial; — its  ulterior  influence  must  be  destroyed  by 
some  hand  and  power  more  mighty  than  his  own.  As 
a  general  thing,  he  must  be  driven  to  self-denial  by  a 
conviction,  under  the  "Spirit,  that  he  can  never  make 
progress  in  that  direction,  or  he  will  never  reach  it. 

I.  I  feel  distressed  at  the  vast  numbers  of  Christen- 
dom who  will  find  themselves  cut  off  from  eternal  life 
by  this  principle.  I  do  not  wonder  that  the  disciples 
asked,  "Are  there  few  that  be  saved?"  And  what  is, 
if  possible,  more  deplorable  still,  the  creeds  and  systems 
of  many  neither  contemplate  such  self-denial  nor  are 
calculated  to  produce  it,  nor  is  it  usually  urged  upon 
inquirers;  so  that  they  fail  of  it,  notwithstanding  the 
command  of  our  Lord.  Will  you  please  explain  what 
is  intended  by  evangelical  faith? 

P.  Faith,  in  its  most  general  sense,  is  the  assent  of  the 
mind  to  the  truth  of  what  is  declared  by  another,  resting 
on  his  authority  and  veracity  without  other  evidence. 
This,  when  exercised  in  the  truths  of  divine  revelation, 
is  intellectual  faith  in  God;  for  it  receives  the  Scrip- 
tures as  true  upon  his  authority  and  veracity.  The 
faith  of  the  heart  in  God  as  a  Sovereign,  as  required  by 
him  (Rom,  10 :  10)  is  the  resignation  of  the  will  to  his 
authority,  and  the  reception  of  him,  his  word,  his  char- 
.  acter,  his  glory,  and  his  commands,  as  the  subjects  of 
our  desire  and  love.     It  presupposes  that,  (selfishness 


PERSEVERANCE.  317 

being  removed  by  self-denial,)  divine  trutli  when  hon- 
estly received  and  properly  applied  to  one's  self,  will, 
through  the  Spirit,  move  the  will  to  obedience  and 
ultimately  excite  its  affections.  Thus,  Jesus  is  presented 
as  the  Son  of  God,  and  as  such  invested  with  the  rights 
of  divine  sovereignty.  When  one  believes  this,  he 
exercises  intellectual  faith  in  Christ;  and  selfishness 
being  truly  renounced,  if  he  yields  to  him  by  resolving 
to  obey  him  on  that  account,  he  will  thereby  exercise 
faith  of  the  heart,  and  his  affections  will  promptly 
respond  to  his  character  and  glory.  "But  these  are 
written,  that  ye  might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God ;  and  that,  believing,  ye  might  have  life 
through  his  name."— John  20  :  31 ;  Acts  8 :  37. 

/.  And  hence  Christians  are  called  believers?  And 
the  cause  of  so  much  spurious  faith  lies  either  in  mis- 
taking mere  intellectual  belief  for  heart-faith,  or  in  pur- 
posing obedience  without  self-denial,  and  consequently 
from  selfish  motives,  as  is  the  case  with  the  Campbellites 
and  others? 

P.  Yes.  But  we  are  not  to  imagine  things  and  act 
upon  them  as  the  truths  of  God,  under  the  idea  that 
simple  belief  in  any  thing  is  gospel  faith.  It  is  not 
competent  for  the  sinner,  for  example,  to  imagine  that 
Christ  has  promised  or  is  willing  to  save  Am,  and  to 
act  upon  it  in  ostensibly  yielding  to  his  sovereignty, 
as  though  it  was  a  fact,  and  he  had  faith  in  the  divine 
veracity  and  promise. 

I.  I  fear  that  many  do  not  reflect  upon  the  validity 
of  what  they  believe,  but  imagine  things  which  have 
never  proceeded  from  God. 

P.  The  term  faith  is  often  used  to  express  hope  in 
27* 


318  CONVERSION. 

Christ.  But  the  Christian's  faith  in  Christ  as  a  Saviour, 
is  rather  his  confidence  in  the  general  declaration,  be- 
cause it  proceeds  from  him,  that  all  who  are  borh 
again,  converted,  trulj  penitent  and  the  like,  shall  have 
remission  bf  sins  and  everlasting  life  through  his  aton- 
ing grace.  His  hope  is  the  appropriation  of  this  prom- 
ise to  himself,  inducing  a  confidence  that  Christ  has 
remitted  his  sins,  and  will  receive  him  to  eternal  life. 
This  distinction  is  important;  for  if  sinners  confound 
the  one  with  the  other,  they  will  be  liable  at  the  first 
to  seize  upon  a  hope  of  their  own  salvation,  instead  of 
simply  believing  that  the  penitent  shall  be  accepted,  and 
instead  of  resigning  themselves  to  the  sovereign  rule  of 
Christ  and  renouncing  sin — whereby  only  can  the  terms 
be  complied  with.  Faith  and  hope,  are  radically  dis- 
tinct exercises:  "Nowabideth  faith,  hope,  charity,  these 
three''^  (1  Cor.  13: 13);  and  faith  in  God,  or  in  Christ  as 
the  sovereign  God,  (for  these  are  considered  the  same  in 
the  Scriptures — see  Tit.  8  :  8,  and  John  11 :  45,)  leading 
to  absolute  submission  and  obedience,  must  always  pre- 
cede a  valid  hope,  both  in  the  order  of  the  divine  ar- 
rangement and  of  correct  mental  action;  for  true  love 
to  God  cannot  be  exercised  before  such  faith,  nor  can 
a  hope  in  the  blessings  of  grace,  but  they  always  flow 
from  it.  Hence  faith,  and  not  hope,  is  made  the  con- 
dition of  pardon. — Mark  16 :  16. 

/.  I  always  used  faith  and  hope  as  alike;  and  can 
see  bow  my  deceitful  heart  led  me  to  misconstrue  the 
declaration  of  Christ,  "no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father 
but  by  me."  Anxious  only  for  a  hope,  I  understood  it 
to  mean  that,  in  order  to  secure  the  favor  of  the  Father, 
the  sinner  must  first  hope  in  the  pardoning  mercy  of  the 


PERSEVERANCE.  819 

Son.  As  going  to  the  Father  means  submitting  to  his 
creative  authority  and  devoting  our  hearts  to  his  glory, 
so  to  come  to  him  by  means  of  Christ,  must  mean  sub- 
mitting to  Christ  as  our  Sovereign  and  devoting  our 
hearts  to  his  glory, — for  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  one 
and  the  same  in  substance;  and  then  we  shall  be  in  a. 
state  to  indulge  a  valid  hope  in  his  mercy. 

/.  Yes ;  and  that  declaration  had  a  peculiar  force  with 
the  Jews  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  The}^  indulged 
selfish  hopes  in  the  Father  in  consequence  of  the  cove- 
nant of  God  with  Abraham  "to  be  a  God  unto  him  and 
unto  his  seed"  (Gen.  17:  7),  which  they  misunderstood 
to  mean  his  natural  instead  of  his  spiritual  descendants. 
They  looked  upon  Christ  as  one  who  would  not  favor 
their  selfishness ;  and  they  knew  that  if  they  acknowl- 
edged his  godship  and  submitted  to  his  authority,  it 
must  be  at  the  expense  of  the  denial  of  their  own  ends. 
Hence,  they  resisted  the  conviction  of  his  claim  to 
divine  authority;  and  he,  on  the  other  hand,  warned 
them  of  the  selfishness  of  their  religion,  and  that  they 
could  not  in  reality  bow  to  the  Father  except  as  they 
believed  in  his  own  divine  authority,  renounced  their 
selfishness  or  the  works  of  the  flesh,  and  submitted  to 
his  rule.  And  to  this  day  they  deny  Christ  simply 
because  of  this  requirement ;  for  had  he  required  them 
only  to  hope  in  his  mercy  rather  than  in  the  Father's, 
in  order  to  salvation,  they  would  have  immediately 
received  the  evidence  of  his  divinity  with  gladness. 
But  then  it  would  have  produced  no  radical  change; 
for  the  selfish  heart  with  its  hopes  and  pleasures  would 
remain,  terminating  on  the  Son  rather  than  on  the 
Father,  as  its  minister  of  sin.     It  is  impossible  for  the 


820  CONVERSION. 

Jews  of  the  present  day  to  be  truly  converted  otherwise 
than  by  the  method  which  Christ  and  his  apostles  adopted 
with  their  fathers ;  and  the  same  resistance  will  be  made 
by  that  peculiarly  selfish  and  stiff-necked  people,  who, 
"  uncircumcised  in  heart  and  ears  [unbelieving  in  the 
godship  of  Christ  against  all  evidence,  and  unsubmissive 
in  will  to  his  authority]  do  always  resist  the  Holy 
Ghost."— Acts  7 :  51. 

/.  The  tables  seem  to  be  turned  in  our  day,  and  men 
are  seeking,  by  a  precipitate  hope  in  Christ,  precisely 
the  selfish  salvation  which  the  Jews  sought  by  a  hope 
in  the  Father,  and  for  which  Christ  denounced  them? 

P.  It  is  even  so;  and  they  love  to  consider  it  the 
Christian  religion. 

/  I  have  been  much  puzzled  by  the  taunt  of  a  per- 
son, that  he  had  rather  be  selfish  with  the  Apostle 
Paul,  than  be  the  contrary  with  others.  I  now  see 
that  the  apostle  reproved  selfishness  in  all  its  forms; 
that  the  salvation  he  desired  and  urged  upon  the  pur- 
suit of  believers  was  not  selfish  happiness,  but  the  glory 
of  God,  conformity  to  his  image,  and  the  blessedness 
flowing  from  enjoying  him  and  his  glory  for  ever.  But 
being  then  inexperienced  in  the  difference,  such  remarks 
weighed  much  with  me  and  endangered  my  soul.  It 
seems  to  me  that  Paul,  after  his  conversion,  was  the 
most  unselfish  person  that  ever  lived. 

P.  Yes,  next  to  his  Master.  In  your  progress  through 
the  world,  you  will  find  many  whose  opinions  you 
would  be  predisposed  to  respect,  but  who  will  evince  a 
lamentable  deficiency  in  clearness,  if  not  in  experience, 
on  many  points.  You  must  become  well  persuaded  in 
your  own  mind,  not  from  mere  whim  or  feeling,  but 


PERSEVERANCE.  821 

from  examination  and  conviction,  and  must  stand  to 
those  convictions  in  the  face  of  all  the  world ;  and  if 
you  find  any  who  would  dissuade  from  this  course,  be 
sure  that  they  wish  to  domineer  over  men  by  retain- 
ing them  in  ignorance,  or  else  are  afraid  of  disturbing 
their  own  hopes  by  having  such  truths  examined. 
Eather  obey  Christ,  who  for  this  very  purpose  com- 
manded the  Jews,  "Search  the  Scriptures,  for  in  them 
ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life;  and  they  are  they  which 
testify  of  me." — John  5 :  39. 

/.  Your  counsel  shall  be  observed,  with  God's  bless- 
ing. As  I  must  stand  or  fall  to  my  own  master,  I  will 
form  and  follow  my  own  opinions  upon  the  Scriptures 
of  truth.     What  is  intended  by  sanctification  ? 

P.  It  is  the  progress  of  the  Christian  upon  his  new 
principles  of  submission  to  the  authority  of  God,  and 
devotion  to  his  glory  ultimately.  "The  path  of  the 
just  is  as  the  shining  light,  that  shineth  more  and  more 
unto  the  perfect  day." — Prov.  4 :  18.  Its  efficient  cause 
is  the  Holy  Spirit  (1  Pet.  1:2);  the  instrumentality  is 
the  truth,  a  knowledge  of  which  enables  us  to  exercise 
our  reason,  judgment,  will,  and  affections  in  the  right 
channels  and  in  reference  to  right  objects. — John  17: 
17.  A  change  in  our  moral  state  before  God  involves 
a  change  in  our  opinions  and  feelings  in  respect  to  him, 
ourselves,  and  mankind,  wherever  they  have  been  defect- 
ive. I  must  refer  you  to  the  Scriptures,  and  especially 
to  our  Lord's  sermon  on  the  mount  (Matt.  6,  6,  and  7), 
for  the  necessary  instruction  in  those  duties,  by  the 
observance  of  which  we  are  to  grow  in  grace.  But 
permit  me  to  remark  that  if  you  are  in  a  gracious 
state   you  will   so   carefully  govern   your  temper  and 


322  CONVERSION. 

control  your  conduct  in  respect  to  those  around  you, 
that  observers  will  take  knowledge  of  you  that  you 
have  been  with  Jesus. — Acts  4:13. 

I.  I  used  to  think  that,  in  the  process  of  sanctification, 
we  aimed  indeed  at  the  attainment  of  the  divine  author- 
ity as  a  superior  influence  over  the  mind,  but  still  as  the 
last  thing  to  be  acquired,  say,  at  death;  but  the  Scrip- 
tures place  it  at  the  very  beginning. 

P.  It  is  natural  that  the  unconverted  heart  should 
always  take  that  view  of  sanctification.  It  knows 
nothing  practically  of  that  principle ;  all  its  warfare  con- 
sists in  observing  questions  of  policy  as  to  what  on  the 
one  hand  is  necessary  to  its  hopes  of  happiness  for  the 
future  state,  and  on  the  other  what  indulgences  may  be 
enjoyed  in  the  present  without  materially  endangering 
those  hopes.  That  principle  seems  to  be  so  high,  so 
far  beyond  what  he  has  ever  reached,  that  the  uncon- 
verted person  is  apt  to  conclude  that  no  one  can  reach 
it  in  this  life,  at  least  before  the  hour  of  death;  and 
hence,  he  makes  conversion  the  end  of  sanctification! 
The  very  act  of  the  mind  from  which  the  believer  de- 
rives his  characteristic  principle  and  the  moral  weapon 
with  which  he  is  to  contend  with  selfishness  through 
life,  is  made  by  the  sinner  to  be  the  last  attainment  of 
perfection  in  the  Christian  course!  All  his  efforts  for 
it  are  selfish,  of  course;  and  if  his  selfish  hopes  con- 
tinue to  be  sustained  by  his  erroneous  view  of  sanctifi- 
cation, there  can  be  no  ground  to  expect  he  will  ever 
reach  the  point  of  regeneration ;  and  if  he  has  so  per- 
verted the  Scriptures  as  to  be  beyond  correction  on  the 
subject  by  them,  and  as  he  has  never  acted  on  the  new 
principle  so  as  to  have  the  evidence  of  consciousness 


PERSEVERANCE.  323 

that  the  idea  of  the  authority  of  God  may  be  of  itself 
enough  to  move  the  will  to  obedience,  and  if  he  will  not 
receive  the  testimony  of  others  who  have  practically 
tested  the  fact,  it  will  be  vain  to  try  to  deliver  him. 
The  most  we  can  hope  for  where  the  infatuation  is  so 
com])lete,  is  that  he  will  abstain  from  making  *'the 
heart  of  the  righteous  sad,  whom  God  has  not  made 
sad,  and  from  strengthening  the  hands  of  the  wicked, 
that  he  should  not  return  from  his  wicked  way"  (Ez. 
18:22):  and  from  opposing  others  whose  scriptural 
sentiments  disturb  his  own  repose. 

/.  I  see  by  my  own  experience,  that  up  to  the  period 
of  attaining  that  principle,  the  process  of  what  I  some- 
times called  sanctification  was  pure  unholiness  enlivened 
by  a  hope.  But  when  we  start  on  the  principle  of  the 
divine  authority  of  the  Son  of  God,  are  we  bound  to 
observe  it  perfectly  in  heart  and  life? 

P.  God  requires  not  only  that  we  embrace  perfectly 
upright  principles,  such  as  the  creative  authority  of  God, 
but  that  we  observe  them  perfectly  in  respect  to  the 
feelings  and  purposes  of  our  hearts,  and  in  our  external 
deportment.  And  our  consciences,  acting  upon  this 
divine  standard  of  perfection,  always  reprove  us  for 
every  perceived  departure  therefrom. 

/.  But  is  such  perfection  attainable  even  in  kind,  in 
this  life? 

P.  The  sanctification  of  the  believer  is  imperfect  in 
this  life.  In  the  words  of  the  Westminster  Assembly, 
"there  abideth  still  some  remnants  of  corruption  in 
every  part,  wlience  ariseth  a  continual  and  irreconcil- 
able war,  the  flesh  lusting  against  the  spirit,  and  the 
spirit  against  the  flesh: — and   so   that  saints  grow  in 


324  CONVERSION. 

grace,  perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord."  And . 
such  is  the  testimony  of  Scripture,  "There  is  not  a  just 
man  upon  earth,  that  doeth  good,  and  sinneth  not." — 
Eccl.  7:20.  "Not  as  though  I  had  already  attained, 
either  were  already  perfect ;  but  I  follow  after,  if  that  I 
may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I  am  apprehended 
of  Christ  Jesus." — Phil.  3 :  12.  In  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  the  saint  will  reach  perfection  in  kind,  and  will 
ever  be  approximating  to  the  moral  excellence  of  God 
in  degree. 

I.  Who,  then,  can  be  saved  ? 

P.  All  true  believers.  The  disciple  is  regarded  as  a 
saint,  not  because  he  is  as  perfect  in  holiness  as  are  the 
saints  in  heaven,  but  because  his  principles  are  upright 
and  godly,  and  because  perfection  is  his  aim. — Job  1 : 
8.  Your  selfish  views  formerly  induced  the  error  of 
supposing  that  absolute  perfection  was  the  condition 
of  pardon;  whereas  repentance,  and  obedience  with 
that  aim,  is  made  the  condition  by  infinite  grace.  On 
the  same  ground  Christians  are  prone  to  abandon  their 
hopes  in  sadness,  when  they  discover  any  sin  in  their 
thoughts,  hearts,  or  conduct;  and  are  apt  to  conclude 
that  they  have  never  been  regenerated,  on  the  singular 
supposition  that  there  is  some  peculiar  power  in  true 
regeneration,  which,  had  they  possessed  it,  would  have 
of  itself  kept  them  from  all  future  sin,  whether  they  are 
themselves  watchfal  or  no; — a  most  grievous  error 
indeed.  These  accusations  of  conscience  are  its  reproofs 
for  our  failure  to  act  according  to  the  standard  of  right 
"  or  perfection  in  those  particular  instances,  and  not  for 
our  want  of  those  holy  principles  of  heart,  which,  duly 
cultivated,  would  have  prevented  those  deficiencies ;  that 


PERSEVERANCE.  325 

is  to  say,  the  conscience  admits  the  believer's  regenera- 
tion, but  reproves  him  for  a  deficiency  in  its  legitimate 
fruits,  through  his  own  fault.  It  is  as  if  you  had  started 
with  the  view  of  prosecuting  a  journey,  and  while  on 
your  way  are  occasionally  drawn  aside  by  various  in- 
ducements, so  that  your  progress  toward  your  journey's 
end  is  devious  and  slow.  A  view  of  your  wanderings 
might  make  you  sorrowful,  and  you  might  hastily  con- 
clude that  it  could  not  be  possible  that  you  ever  really 
commenced  that  journey;  whereas,  the  true  inference 
would  be  that  you  started,  but  that  you  progressed 
criminally  slow.  Apply  this  principle  to  your  Chris- 
tian course,  and  it  will  save  you  much  distress  and 
trouble  in  respect  to  your  regeneration,  while  it  will 
make  you  more  anxious  to  persevere. 

/.  I  will  remember  to  do  so.  But  with  such  a  de- 
fective service,  will  Christ  accept  the  true  believer? 

P,  Yes,  where  his  aim  is  to  glorify  God  in  every 
thing.  "Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the 
Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him.  For  he  knoweth  our 
frame ;  he  remembereth  that  we  are  dust." — Ps.  103  :  13, 
14.  The  ground  of  the  believer's  acceptance,  as  before 
remarked,  is  not  at  all  upon  any  desert  of  a  beneficial 
recompense  on  his  part;  nor  partly  upon  his  works  or 
deserts,  and  partly  upon  Christ  to  make  up  his  defi- 
ciencies; but  is  exclusively  and  altogether  upon  the 
righteousness  of  Christ,  as  manifested  in  his  obedient 
sufferings  in  the  atonement  If  it  depended  in  any 
degree  upon  any  such  merit  of  the  believer,  he  would 
be  lost  beyond  remedy,  for  he  has  none  whatever. 

I.  Will  you  explain  the  exact  mode  or  principles  of 
28 


326  CONVERSION. 

the  acceptance  of  the  true  believer,  by  virtue  of  the 
atonement  ? 

P.  Yes;  and  in  the  first  place  will  notice  the  nature 
of  imputation.  The  term  imputation  was  borrowed  hj 
the  old  writers  from  commerce,  and  properly  signifies  to 
set  a  sum  down  to  somebody's  account;  as  if  one  Lad 
made  a  contract  by  virtue  of  which  a  debt  accrued  from 
him  to  another,  the  creditor  would  impute  it  to  the 
debtor,  or  set  it  down  to  his  account  and  make  him 
answerable  for  it.  To  impute  an  action  to  a  person,  is 
to  attribute  it  to  him  as  its  real  author.  It  implies  a  free 
agent,  who  may  be  reasonably  and  truly  regarded  as  the 
author  of  his  own  actions  in  such  a  sense  as  that  they 
may  be  justly  charged  to  him.  In  this  sense  it  is  used 
in  the  Scriptures:  "Blood  shall  be  imputed  unto 
[charged  upon]  that  man;"  and  the  reason  is  given  in 
the  fact  that  *\he  hath  shed  blood."— Lev.  17 :  4. 

I.  I  was  always  under  the  impression  that,  in  a  reli- 
gious sense,  to  impute  a  thing  to  a  person  was  to  make 
believe  it  was  his,  or  to  consider  it  his  as  it  were^  even 
though  it  actually  belonged  to  some  one  else. 

P,  One  may  have  the  benefit  of  another's  act,  and  it 
may  be  placed  to  his  account  in  respect  to  such  benefit, 
but  never  in  respect  to  the  act  itself  Like  his  char- 
acter, every  person's  act  is  his  own. 

/.  I  see  the  distinction  clearly. 

P.  Imputation  was  held  to  be  of  two  kinds — namely, 
simple  and  efiicacious.  Burl,  on  Nat.  Laio.  pp.  24. 
170.  Simple  imputation  consists  only  in  ascribing  a 
person's  own  action  to  himself,  and  in  approving  or  dis- 
approving him  on  account  of  such  action;  insomuch 
that  no  other  effect  arises  from  it  with  regard  to  him. 


PERSEVERANCE.  327 

Thus,  one  gives  food  to  a  hungry  mendicant;  we  spon- 
taneously attribute  the  action  to  him  as  his  own,  and 
attach  to  him  also  a  desert  of  approbation  on  account  of 
it;  and  we  esteem  and  praise  him  accordingly.  It 
would  be  the  spontaneous  attestation  of  our  own  hearts 
to  his  goodness;  and  his  refusal,  in  such  a  case,  would 
elicit  our  imputation  of  disapprobation.  One  who  freely 
and  voluntarily  observes  the  rights  of  his  Creator  in  his 
actions,  is  denominated  righteous  in  the  Scriptures;  as 
it  is  said,  "The  Lord  loveth  the  righteous. "—Ps.  146 : 8. 
However  the  Almighty  energy  exerted  by  the  Spirit  to 
induce  the  sinner,  in  conversion,  to  bow  to  the  authority 
of  God,  and  to  walk  in  the  paths  of  holy  obedience, 
may  be  exercised,  and  however  clearly  all  the  glory  of 
it  belongs  to  God,  yet  they  occurred  from  the  resulting 
free  and  voluntary  act  of  submission  by  the  sinner  him- 
self; as  such  it  was  Ms  own  action^  and  should  be  imputed 
to  him,  with  all  its  moral  consequences,  as  certainly 
and  truly  as  we  would  place  to  one's  account  the  gift  of 
that  food.  And  if  he  had  refused,  the  same  principle 
would  apply  to  his  condemnation.  Accordingly  we  find 
that  God,  in  the  Scriptures,  does  attribute  the  evil 
actions  of  the  sinner  to  himself,  with  his  disapprobation 
on  their  account:  ''Behold,  thou  hast  spoken  and  done 
evil  things  as  thou  couldest." — Jer.  3:5.  "  A  man  of 
wicked  devices  will  the  Lord  condemn." — Prov.  12:2. 
And  we  also  find  that  he  imputes  to  believers,  as  their 
own  act,  their  observance  of  his  creative  rights,  and 
also  all  the  moral  consequences.  "And  a  great  number 
believed,  and  turned  unto  the  Lord." — Acts  11 :  21. 
"Not  he  that  commendeth  himself  is  approved,  but 
whom  the  Lord  commendeth." — 2  Cor.  10 :  18. 


328  CONVERSION. 

/.  On  reflection,  it  is  obviously  correct  to  impute  to 
a  person  his  religious  as  well  as  his  secular,  his  pious 
as  well  as  his  sinful,  actions;  for  in  either  case  they  are 
really  his  own ;  and  if  they  are  his  own,  then  he  is  either 
approvable,  or  censurable,  according  to  his  moral  char- 
acter in  them.  Only  it  savors  of  a  want  of  humihty  to 
do  so  in  respect  to  our  pious  conduct;  it  looks  like 
boasting  or  claiming  some  desert  of  the  divine  favor. 

P.  I  repeat  that  true  humility,  different  from  that 
which  is  simulated,  is  always  based  on  the  truth  and  is 
never  inconsistent  with  it ;  and  you  will  find,  ere  we 
finish  this  subject,  that  there  is  no  ground  for  any  such 
fear.  As  has  been  heretofore  remarked,  one  who  has 
done  a  right  action  has  merely  discharged  a  bounden 
duty ;  and  he  has  no  claim  upon  others  on  account  of  it, 
and  no  right  to  insist  upon  their  approbation  or  com- 
mendation. These  are  rendered  spontaneously,  if  at  all, 
by  the  observer;  and  however  deficient  in  moral  good- 
ness he  may  show  himself  by  refusing  to  approve  and 
comm.end  a  good  action,  the  agent  cannot  rightfully 
compel  him  to  it,  were  it  in  his  power. 

I.  Yes ;  I  perceive  it  is  so.  But  as  God  does  not  act 
from  any  obligation  of  duty  toward  his  creatures,  he 
has  a  claim  to  our  approbation  and  praise. 

P.  It  is  said,  in  respect  to  believers,  "  that  God  was 
in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,  not  im- 
puting [not  charging  to  their  account]  their  trespasses 
unto  them"  who  are  brought  into  a  state  of  moral 
agreement  with  himself — 2  Cor.  5 :  19.  It  is  not  said 
that  they  are  not  tresspassers;  but  only  that  their  evil 
deeds  are  not  attributed  to  them  as  calling  for  censure. 

/.  Its  meaning,  in  this  passage,  is  very  evident. 


PERSEVERANCE.  829 

P.  The  second  kind,  or  efficacious  imputation,  is  not 
confined  to  praise  and  blame;  it  produces,  in  addition, 
some  good  or  bad  effect  upon  tbe  agent,  some  real  and 
positive  good  or  evil  that  befalls  him ;  and  it  seems  to 
be  the  office  of  those  who  are  directly  concerned  in  the 
performance  or  omission  of  the  action.  It  is  the  benefi- 
cial recompense  or  reward  over  and  above  simple  appro- 
bation and  commendation,  which  is  bestowed  by  a 
superior  upon  an  inferior,  in  consequence  of  his  good 
conduct.  Thus,  where  one  has  faithfully  served  an 
employer  for  a  course  of  years,  he  would  not  only 
commend  him  for  his  good  conduct,  (which  would  be 
simple  imputation,)  but,  if  he  so  pleased,  he  might  also 
present  him  some  money,  or  render  him  some  other 
recompense  as  a  token  of  his  esteem,  (which  would  be 
efficacious  imputation;)  a  donation,  which  the  inferior 
could  not  insist  upon  as  a  legal  right,  or  claim  as  his 
merit  in  any  respect;  but  it  would  be  an  act  which  all 
observers  would  approve,  notwithstanding,  as  indicative 
of  the  benefactor's  capability  to  appreciate  rectitude 
and  faithfulness,  and  of  his  good  and  generous  feelings 
toward  the  beneficiary,  and  consequently  of  his  own 
upright  character.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  punishment, 
may  be  imputed  to  one  who  is  unfaithful  and  grossly 
violates  the  duties  devolved  upon  him;  and  this  is  in 
addition  to  the  simple  imputation  of  blame  and  censure. 
Thus,  it  is  said,  "For  mine  eyes  are  upon  all  their 
ways;  they  are  not  hid  from  my  face,  neither  is  their 
iniquity  hid  from  mine  eyes :  And  first  I  will  recompense 
their  iniquity  and  their  sin  double." — Jer.  16:17,  18. 

I.  But  this  imputation  of  punishment  proceeds  exclu- 
sively on  the  ground  of  the  sinner's  ill-desert. 
28* 


330  CONVERSION. 

P.  Yes.  You  will  permit  me  here  to  repeat  for  the 
sake  of  clearness,  that  a  duty  is  an  act  to  be  done  in 
pursuance  of  some  obligation;  the  right  of  the  person 
to  whom  it  is  owing,  is  the  motive  to  the  act  of  duty ; 
when  the  action  is  thns  performed  the  matter  is  termin- 
ated, and  the  person  bound  can  make  no  further  claim, 
can  rightfully  demand  no  beneficial  recompense  for  the 
discharge  of  his  duty;  and  if  he  receives  one,  it  will  be 
of  pure  generosity.  And  besides,  in  the  case  of  the 
converted  sinner,  the  penalty  of  the  divine  law  (except 
for  mere  grace)  hangs  over  him  for  his  former  mis- 
deeds ;  no  future  obedience,  however  perfect,  can  answer 
in  the  place  of  his  former  derelictions  so  as  to  remove 
it,  for  a  perfect  obedience  is  required  to  answer  the 
present  demands  of  the  law,  to  prevent  its  penalty  from 
falling  upon  him  anew.  And,  in  addition,  his  present 
and  future  obedience  while  on  earth  will  be  more  or  less 
imperfect;  so  that  he  cannot  deserve  or  rightfully  claim 
a  removal  of  the  penalty  for  the  future  on  the  ground 
of  fulfilling  his  duties,  and  much  less  a  beneficial  re- 
compense therefor. 

/.  I  see  it  is  impossible  for  the  believer,  inasmuch 
as  he  was  once  a  rebel  against  God,  to  merit  pardon 
and  salvation,  although  his  principles  are  holy  and  his 
conduct  is  ever  so  much  guarded. 

P.  Our  Lord  requires  of  his  creatures  the  performance 
of  every  duty  to  him,  and  will  punish  sinners  for  their 
neglect  of  any^  to  say  nothing  of  their  positive  misdeeds. 
"And  cast  yes  the  unprofitable  [useless]  servant  into 
outer  darkness." — Matt.  25 :  80.  But  while  blame  and 
punishment  are  thus  imputed  to  the  undutiful,  he  does 
not,  in  any  form,  impute  a  desert  of  a  beneficial  recom- 


PERSEVERANCE.  331 

pense  to  the  dutiful,  on  the  very  principle  that  they  have 
done  only  what  was  their  duty.  "So  likewise  ye,  when 
ye  shall  have  done  all  those  things  which  are  commanded 
you,  say.  We  are  unprofitable  [unmeritorious]  servants, 
[for]  we  have  [only]  done  that  which  was  our  duty  to 
do." — Luke  17:10.  "Doth  he  thank  that  servant  [as 
if  he  had  placed  him  under  an  obligation]  because  he 
did  the  things  that  were  commanded  him?  I  trow 
not." — V.  9.  And  yet,  if  he  will,  God  may,  by  some 
beneficial  recompense,  properly  express,  both  to  the  in- 
dividual and  to  the  public,  his  esteem  of  a  character 
which  is  an  humble,  though  imperfect  imitation  of  his 
own.  By  so  doing,  he  will  exhibit  his  own  love  to 
holiness,  indulge  his  compassionate  mercy,  and  evince 
the  exceeding  riches  of  his  grace ;  and  by  the  amazing 
brilliancy  and  value  of  the  recompense,  as  compared 
with  the  former  ill-desert  and  the  present  no-desert,  to 
say  the  least,  of  the  believer,  he  will  afford  to  the  world 
some  adequate  measure  of  his  own  goodness  and  moral 
excellence,  and  will  make  siTch  a  development  of  the 
glory  of  his  grace  as  will  satisfy  even  the  benevolent 
longings  of  him  who  purchased  the  privilege  with  his 
life  upon  the  cross; — ^for  it  is  said,  "he  shall  see  of  the 
travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied." — ^Is.  53 :  11. 

/.  Certainly  it  would  be  all  of  grace,  and  ultimately 
to  promote  the  glory  of  God.  I  can  now  see  that  the 
objection  which  some  have  made  is  groundless — namely, 
that  faith,  understood  as  implying  such  holiness  of  prin- 
ciple, heart,  and  deportment  in  the  believer,  takes  the 
place  of  good  works  as  a  qualification  of  merit  of  the 
reward  on  his  part,  since  in  fact  it  is  a  moral  excellence 
of  the  first  and  highest  kind.     Although  it  is  an  excel- 


Zj2  conversion. 

lency,  it  lays  no  ground  for  a  legal  claim  either  to  appro- 
bation, thanks,  or  beneficial  reward,  since  it  is  a  mere 
compliance  with  an  acknowledged  duty  to  God;  and 
this,  however  praiseworthy  it  may  be  in  God  generously 
to  make  such  imputations. 

P.  Yes.  This  objection  is  ably  answered  by  the 
editor  of  the  Works  of  Prest.  Edwards^  (London  Ed. 
1835,  Intro.  Essay,  p.  51.)  Prest.  Edwards,  he  remarks, 
distinguishes  between  what  faith  is  in  its  own  nature, 
and  what  it  is  in  relation  to  the  privileges  for  which  it 
is  a  qualification.  He  distinguishes  between  such  quali- 
fications as  entitle  a  man  to  certain  privileges,  and  such 
as  have  merely  a  natural  tendency  to  fit  him  for  receiving 
them.  It  is  not  as  possessing  a  moral  qualification 
which  entitles  its  possessor  to  certain  privileges,  that  he 
who  possesses  faith  is  justified;  but  because  he  who 
possesses  faith  is  in  a  condition  to  receive  the  benefits 
of  the  gospel.  Without  such  a  qualification,  therefore, 
those  blessings  could  not  be  granted.  Though  faith, 
then,  is  in  its  own  nature  a  moral  excellency,  yet  it  is 
only  as  a  proper  qualification  for  partaking  in  the 
privileges  of  the  gospel,  that  it  avails  the  believer.  Let 
us  take  a  simple  illustration.  A  man  designs  to  grant 
to  another  certain  great  benefits,  not  in  the  least  degree 
deserved^  in  no  sense  the  price  of  moral  desert.  Yet  he 
may  demand  certain  qualifications  in  the  object  of  his 
bounty,  and  those  qualifications  may  be  of  a  moral 
nature,  though  it  is  only  as  natural  qualifications  that 
they  are  demanded.  For  instance,  he  might  demand 
that  he  shall  be  found  honest ;  a  good  moral  trait  to  be 
sure,  and  qualifying  him  to  receive  it  virtuously,  but 
not  at  all  entering  into  the  ulterior  motive  with  which 


PERSEVERANCE.  833 

it  is  conferred.  In  like  manner  tlie  blessings  of  the 
gospel  are  not  in  any  degree  conferred  because  of  any 
merit  in  those  who  receive  them;  yet  they  may  be 
justly  confined  to  those  who  possess  a  proper  natural 
qualification. 

/.  This  seems  to  be  perfectly  conclusive.  But  upon 
what  principles  can  God  be  properly  generous  toward 
believers,  since  they  have  heretofore  violated  his  laws 
and  incurred  the  penalty  of  eternal  death? 

P.  In  the  first  place,  as  regards  the  recipient,  it  would 
not  be  rewarding  him  for  evil,  or  while  in  disloyalty ; 
for  they  are  not  conferred  because  of  his  past  conduct, 
nor  imparted  to  any  who  have  not  become  truly  loyal. 
In  the  next  place,  the  example  of  the  believer  will  not 
thereafter  be  deleterious  to  the  rest  of  God's  holy  sub- 
jects; so  that  his  blessings  will  not  be  perverted  to  sub- 
vert the  general  good.  In  the  next  place  God  may,  if 
he  will,  so  far  as  concerns  himself  personally^  overlook 
the  believer's  previous  injuries  and  evil  conduct  and  his 
present  short-comings,  and  may  relinquish  his  private 
right  of  redress  therefor,  and  may  even  impute  blessings 
instead  of  punishment.  And  so  he  does ;  for  we  never 
hear  him  reproach  the  penitent  for  their  past  iniquities, 
but  on  the  contrary,  in  the  language  of  our  Lord  (in  a 
parable  intended  to  explain  this  point,  among  other 
things),  pardon  is  conferred  immediately  and  without 
rebuke:  "But  when  he  was  a  great  way  off,  his  father 
saw  him,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on  his 
neck,  and  kissed  him." — Luke  15 :  20. 

/.  I  have  thought  that  some  rebuke  would  be  a  relief 
to  my  soul !  but  such  spontaneous,  uncomplaining  kind- 
ness overwhelms  me 


834  CONVERSION. 

p.  But  before  tie  can  indulge  his  generous  kindness 
to  the  believer  with  safety  to  the  permanence  of  his 
moral  government  in  heaven,  and  to  the  perpetuity  of 
the  obedience  of  his  holy  subjects  there,  some  provision 
must  be  made  to  sustain  his  authority  as  a  ruling  prin- 
ciple over  their  minds,  whereby  their  perfect  obedience 
and  blessedness  may  be  insured.  Eevolt  once  occurred 
in  heaven;  his  authority  as  the  ruling  principle  was  re- 
jected there  by  Satan  and  his  angels  to  the  endangering 
of  his  whole  moral  government;  and  to  fail  to  impute 
sin  and  the  penalty  of  the  law  to  creatures  who  deserved 
both,  at  the  hazard,  and  indeed  certainty,  of  so  under- 
mining his  own  authority  in  consequence  over  others 
as  to  hazard  their  continued  obedience  and  everlasting 
well-being  in  holiness,  would  be  unwise,  discreditable 
to  God,  and  surely  productive  of  infinite  mischief  For 
you  must  observe  that  saints  and  angels  in  heaven  are 
moral  agents,  free  to  obey  or  disobey,  to  love  God  or  to 
refuse ;  and  a  sad  experiment  has  proved  that  none  can 
be  so  exalted  there  as  to  be  beyond  the  power  of  tempt- 
ation. They  are  there  bound  to  God  by  a  supreme 
love  to  him  and  his  glory,  which  is  produced  and  sus- 
tained by  a  perfect  recognition  of  his  authority, in  their 
wills  and  conduct;  just  as  your  submission  to  his  au- 
thority produced,  and  its  continued  observance  perpetu- 
ates your  love  to  him.  Their  service,  therefore,  is 
neither  compulsory  nor  mercenary,  but  is  free  and  holy ; 
while  a  filial  fear  of  God  suppresses  all  presumption. 
Still,  they  are  acquainted  with  the  same  motive  influences 
which  overthrew  Satan  and  his  angels;  they  are  more- 
over familiar  with  all  the  insidious  considerations  which 
he   and  his   followers  can  present;   and  as  free  moral 


PERSEVERANCE.  335 

agents  bound  to  obey  God,  tbey  are  equally  bound  to 
resist  temptations.  To  enable  them  to  see  the  deformity 
of  sin,  and  thus  to  hate  it  more  and  more;  to  enable 
them  to  appreciate  the  evil  of  punishment,  and  thus  to 
])rize  the  holy  blessedness  they  enjoy ;  to  enable  them 
to  understand  the  full  evil  of  unholiness,  and  thus  to 
love  God  and  his  glory  the  more  in  the  contrast;  and 
•by  means  of  the  whole  to  guard  them  so  eftectually 
against  the  power  of  temptation  thai  they  will  never 
yield  to  it,  but  ever  retain  their  obedience,  God  has  made 
the  perpetual  punishment  of  Satan,  his  angels,  and  all 
incorrigible  sinners,  with  all  its  reasons  as  developed  in 
their  depraved  hearts  and  conduct,  to  stand  out  before 
them  as  a  beacon-light  for  ever.  The  saints  well  know 
that  God  will  never  forgive  sin  committed  in  the  eternal 
state,  and  that  if  they  sin  there,  the  doom  of  the  fallen 
angels  will  be  theirs;  and  this  producing  a  holy  fear, 
shelters  them  effectually  from  temptation,  and  they 
doubtless  praise  and  glorify  God  for  its  protection. 
God  will  have  a  perfect  government  and  perfect  bless- 
edness in  the  fature  state,  and  in  order  thereto  he  must 
have  a  perfect  obedience;  and  while  respect  to  his 
authority  and  holy  love,  bind  his  adopted  children  to 
his  throne,  the  certainty  that  eternal  death  will  follow 
disobedience  will  disarm  temptation  of  all  its  power. 
Then  "the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne, 
shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living  foun- 
tains of  waters;  and  God  shall  [ever]  wipe  away  all 
tears  from  their  eyes." — Rev.  7:17.  Thus,  you  perceive, 
that  the  safety  of  heaven  from  temptation  depends  upon 
the  profound  conviction  that  God's  holy  law  is  so  honor- 
able in  his  sight  and  that  his  authority  is  esteemed  of 


SB6  CONVERSION. 

SO  much  importance,  that  the  disastrous  consequences  of 
any  violation  of  either  these  will  be  irretrievable. 

L  Yes;  I  perceive  it  now.  Not  being  accustomed  to 
regard  saints  in  heaven  as  such  free  moral  agents,  I 
have  not  thought  of  the  necessity  of  guards  for  their 
preservation  from  transgression.  But  they  must  be  free 
agents  there  in  order  to  have  any  moral  character  of 
their  own,  or  any  virtue  or  praiseworthiness;  and  as 
free  agency  implies  a  natural  possibility  of  revolting,  it 
is  wise  and  good  in  God  to  make  it  a  moral  impossi- 
bility for  his  children  to  do  so.  And  it  is  very  clear 
also  that  a  firm  persuasion  of  their  endless  moral  and 
natural  ruin  upon  the  perpetration*  of  sin  there,  would 
form  this  safeguard.  No  one  could  deliberately  re- 
nounce the  authority  of  God,  with  such  a  prospect  in 
view ;  while  his  love  to  him  would  retain  him  in  willing 
bonds. 

P.  But  if  God  should,  by  any  act  of  his  own,  settle 
the  principle  that  a  transgressor  can  be  pardoned  on 
mere  repentance,  then  this  persuasion  and  safeguard 
would  be  removed;  for  the  same  plan  might  be  laid 
there  that  is  usually  resorted  to  by  mankind  here — 
namely,  to  repent,  after  having  tried  self-indulgence  suf- 
ficiently, and  thereby  escape  the  penalty  and  recover 
their  position. 

1  That  is  true. 

P.  And  the  pardon  of  any  one  person  on  mere  repent- 
ance would  settle  this  principle  for  ever;  for  it  would 
be  assumed  that  God  would  be  consistent  with  himself. 
Such  an  act,  therefore,  would  not  only  endanger  the 
stability  of  the  redeemed  in  respect  to  his  authority,  but 
in  the   lapse  of  interminable  ages  under   the   various 


PERSEVERANCE.  837 

incidents  of  so  vast  a  universe,  would  undoubtedly  pro- 
duce a  repetition  of  those  scenes  once  before  exhibited; 
and  in  the  mean  time,  God  would  be  subject  to  the 
reproach  of  a  want  either  of  wisdom  to  devise,  or  of  a 
heart  or  power  to  accomplish  a  remedy,  and  of  leaving 
the  creatures  of  his  hand,  once  delivered  from  sin  and 
death,  constantly  exposed  again  to  fall. 

I.  Such  must  be  the  results,  in  the  view  of  sound 
reason. 

P.  Before,  then,  God  could  forgive  a  penitent  sinner 
(for  an  unloyal  one  he  can  forgive  under  no  circum- 
stances) with  safety  to.  his  moral  government  in  the 
eternal  state,  he  must,  by  some  act  of  his  own,  produce 
such  a  conviction  of  his  superior  regard  to  his  law  and 
of  his  determination  to  preserve  his  authority  inviolate 
there^  as  will  prevent  their  inferring  that  temptation  may 
be  yielded  to  without  certain  ruin.  If  he  can  do  this, 
evincing  that  the  penitent  is  not  pardoned  because  of  his 
penitence,  but  because  of  the  demands  of  the  divine 
glory  under  the  exigency,  and  showing  in  the  very  act 
that  he  respected  his  law  and  authority  be3^ond  any 
and  every  other  good,  then  he  can  safely  pardon  him. 

I.  Certainly,  no  creature  in  heaven  would  dare  to  sin 
while  under  the  impression  that  God  regarded  his  law 
and  authority  supremely,  even  though,  for  temporary 
purposes,  he  should  seem  to  have  acted  otherwise  by 
the  pardon  of  penitent  sinners  on  earth. 

P.  But  this  impression  can  be  produced  only  by  his 
own  act.  Actions  speak  louder  than  words,  and  "  even 
a  child  is  known  by  his  doings."  And  besides,  the 
seeming  surrender  of  his  law  by  the  act  of  God  in  par- 
doning a  sinner,  though  penitent,  cannot  be  explained 
29 


338  CONVERSION. 

away  satisfactorily  by  mere  declarations,  though  these 
are  important;  nctions  must  be  met  by  actions  to  pre- 
serve the  equality  of  evidence.  And  moreover,  the 
actions  or  declarations  of  angels  or  men  could  not 
decisively  exhibit  the  sentiments  and  purposes  of  God, 
or  of  any  beings  except  themselves.  God  must  act  for 
himself,  in  order  to  have  the  impression  necessary  to 
sustain  his  authority  go  forth  with  equal  power  with 
the  act  of  himself  in  pardoning  the  penitent  sinner, 
which  endangers  it. 

/.  True.  No  one's  actions  but  his  own  can  decisively 
prove  his  own  sentiments  and  purposes. 

P.  Now,  could  God  in  some  public  manner  become 
obedient  to  his  own  authority  and  the  precepts  of  his 
own  law,  that  act  would  exhibit  a  regard  to  them  supe- 
rior to  that  for  himself;  for  it  would  be  a  practical 
admission  that  he  considered  them  as  of  higher  import- 
ance than  his  own  pleasure.  Should  he  do  this,  he 
would  accomplish  every  thing  necessary  to  make  his 
authority  and  law  most  highly  honored  by  his  loyal 
creatures,  under  whatever  circumstances;  so  that  not 
even  the  pardon  of  a  penitent  sinner  could  shake  their 
confidence. 

/.  Such  would  be  the  certain  consequence. 

P.  And  further,  if  he  should  himself  come  under 
the  pain  and  suffering  which  the  penalty  of  that  law 
denounces,  it  would  express  beyond  all  doubt,  his 
regard  to  the  penalty  as  just  and  proper,  even  be- 
yond that  for  his  own  personal  happiness,  and  of 
course  beyond  the  personal  happiness  of  any  and  all 
creatures. 

L  Even  hell  itself  would  become  convinced. 


PERSEVERANCE.  339 

P.  And  it  would  produce  such  an  indelible  impres- 
sion of  the  truth  of  his  declared  purpose  to  inflict  the 
penalty  in  that  eternal  state  on  all  transgressors  there, 
that  the  safeguard  would  remain  in  the  face  of  his  seem- 
ingly contradictory  acts  in  this  world. 

/.  Beyond  all  doubt. 

P.  And  precisely  this  has  been  accomplished,  in  order 
that  God  might  be  just  toward  his  holy  subjects  in  sus- 
taining inviolate  his  authority  as  the  basis  of  his  moral 
government  over  them  in  the  eternal  state,  and  yet 
might  justify  him  who  believed  in  Jesus,  and  declare 
his  rectitude  in  remitting  his  sins. — Eom.  3 :  26.  God, 
the  second  Person  in  the  trinity,  the  Word,  was  made 
flesh  and  dwelt  among  us. — John  1 :  14.  By  a  perfect 
obedience  to  the  precepts  of  his  own  law,  and  by  baring 
his  own  bosom  to  its  penalty,  "he  magnified  the  law  and 
made  it  honorable"  (Is.  42:21);  or,  as  it  may  also  read, 
made  him  honorable.  He  thus  proved  his  superior 
devotion  to  it,  and  consequently  his  determination  to 
maintain  the  authority  of  God  inviolate.  And  he  re- 
stricted the  application  of  the  benefits  of  his  obedient 
sufferings  to  those  who  transgressed  in  the  present  state 
of  existence,  excluding  those  who  had  done  so  in  the 
eternal  state. — Rom.  2  :  6 — 10 ;  Jude  6.  Now,  no  one 
can  construe  his  mercy  to  a  penitent  sinner  here,  into 
a  virtual  repeal  of  the  penalty  of  the  law  or  into  a  pur- 
pose not  to  maintain  his  authority  inviolate  in  eternity; 
but  the  contrary  is  so  fully  established  that  the  safe- 
guard is  rendered  perfect.  God  can  now  indulge  his 
compassion  and  goodness  to  the  penitent,  and  can  exhibit 
the  amazing  depths  of  his  grace  to  them,  and  at  the  same 
time  display  his  care  and  love  toward  those  holy  spirits 


340  CONVEllSION. 

which  already  worship  in  his  presence-chamber  and  cast 
their  crowns  before  his  heavenly  throne. 

/.  The  remedy  is  perfect!  But  at  what  a  cost  to 
himself  was  it  provided ! 

P.  Now  he  can  righteously  and  safely  decline  to  im- 
pute their  trespasses  to  believers  (2  Cor.  5:19);  not  by 
making  believe  that  they  had  never  violated  God's  law, 
but  by  not  so  charging  them  to  their  account  as  to 
make  them  punishable  therefor.  And  further,  God  can 
as  safely  charge  these  sins  of  the  believer  to  the  account 
of  Christ,  or,  in  the  figurative  language  of  the  Scripture, 
"make  him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin." — 2  Cor. 
5  :  21.  "  The  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us 
all."^ — Is.  53 :  6.  And  he  can  impute  to  him  the  punish- 
ment due  to  us,  not  as  deserved  by  him  in  any  real  or 
mystical  sense,  but  as  charged  to  his  account  in  our 
stead;  "He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was 
bruised  for  our  iniquities :  the  chastisement  of  our  peace 
was^upon  him;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed — for 
the  transgression  of  my  people  was  he  stricken." — Is. 
53 : 5.  8.  He  can  also  safely  charge  to  our  account  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  in  his  obedient  sufferings:  "that 
we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him"  (2 
Cor.  5:  21);  not  by  a  transfer  of  moral  character  from 
Christ  to  us  which  we  have  seen  to  be  impossible,  and 
besides  we  must  have  a  holy  one  of  our  own,  but  by 
graciously  imputing  to  us  the  benefit  of  his  atonement 
the  same  as  though  it  had  been  our  own  act,  and  by 
treating  ns  in  consequence  the  same  as  though  we  had, 
like  the  angels  who  kept  their  first  estate,  been  always 
righteous.  Hence,  when  the  believer  "shall  make  his 
soul  an  offering  for  sin,  he  shall  see  his  seed"  (Is.  53 :  10), 


PERSEVERANCE.  341 

— "to  the  praise  of  the  glory  of  his  grace  wherein  he 
hath  made  us  accepted  in  the  Beloved." — Eph.  1 :  6. 
Thus  God  can  be  generous  toward  believers  only  at  the 
cost  of  the  life  of  his  own  Son,  and  in  the  act,  evinces 
his  respect  to  his  own  authority. 

/.  0  how  good  is  God  I  I  used  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  kindness  of  the  Son  and  the  Father,  but  uow 
I  can  understand  that  it  was  "God  who  so  loved  the 
world,  as  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son." 

P.  As  this  world  is  minute  when  compared  with  the 
other  and  innumerable  worlds  of  God's  creation,  so  is 
the  period  allotted  for  the  existence  of  mankind  upon  it 
short,  compared  with  eternity.  Our  race  occupy  a  pa- 
renthesis, as  it  were,  in  infinite  duration.  An  eternity 
of  the  past  is  pressing  onward  to  an  eternity  in  the 
future ;  and  the  occurrences  during  this  interruption  will 
serve  to  explain  hereafter  the  holy  principles  and  recti- 
tude of  God  in  reference  to  all  events  that  have  tran- 
spired during  the  entire  course  of  his  administration 
through  eternal  ages.  When  enough  has  been  done  to 
accomplish  that  fully,  the  parenthesis  will  be  struck  out; 
and  the  angel  of  the  apocalypse,  standing  upon  the  sea 
and  upon  the  earth,  shall  lift  up  his  hand  to  heaven,  and 
swear  by  him  that  liveth  for  ever  and  ever,  "That  there 
should  be  time  no  longer."  Then  cometh  the  end,  and 
Christ  will  deliver  up  his  mediatorial  kingdom  to  God, 
even  the  Father  (1  Cor.  15  :  24) ;  and  in  the  firm  estab- 
lishment of  the  divine  government  there,  in  the  perpetual 
holiness  and  blessedness  of  his  blood-purchased  heritage, 
and  in  the  full  development  of  his  Father's  glory,  he 
will  "see  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  shall  be  satis- 
fied."—Is.  63 :  11. 
29* 


342  CONVERSION. 

/.  I  have  always  heretofore  most  strangely  confined 
my  views  of  the  atonement,  as  designed  to  afi'ect  this 
world  chiefly ;  and  the  evident  perversion  of  it  which 
men  make  to  encourage  a  hope  of  impunity  in  sin,  has 
made  its  efficacy  somewhat  doubtful;  but  regarding  it 
as  designed  to  operate  chiefly  and  ultimately  upon  the 
eternal  state  relieves  the  difficulty.  I  can  now  see  also, 
how  it  is  that  God  can  accept  the  believer,  even  though 
he  dies  despairing  of  pardon ;  for  it  is  his  own  charac- 
ter and  rectitude,  and  not  the  believer's,  that  is  to  be 
justified,  and  others  can  now  justify  him,  whatever  may 
be  the  believer's  apprehensions  about  himself. 

P.  .Yes.  Christ  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession,  by 
the  presentation  of  his  own  obedient  sufferings  in  behalf 
of  all  that  come  unto  God  through  obedience  to  him- 
seE— Heb.  7 :  25. 

/.  What  is  intended  by  the  doctrine  of  election? 

P.  Mankind  are  in  a  state  of  hostility  to  God,  are 
entitled  to  no  favor  at  his  hands,  and  have,  of  their  own 
fault,  so  lost  their  recuperative  power  that  they  will  not, 
and  of  themselves  cannot  so  deny  themselves  as  to  recover 
it  and  turn  to  God;  and  all  must  be  lost  unless  God 
shall  interpose.  Now,  the  doctrine  of  election  exhibits 
that  wonderful  kindness  and  goodness  of  God  toward 
such  helpless  and  liell-deserving  creatures,  whereby,  v/ith 
an  ultimate  view  to  his  own  glory,  he,  from  the  begin- 
ning, selected  many  to  repentance,  holiness,  and  eternal 
life.— Eph.  1 : 4—6;  2  Thes.  2 :  13,  14.  You  are  well 
aware  that,  left  to  yourself,  you  would  never  have  de- 
voted your  attention  to  the  subject,  nor  have  denied 
your  selfish  heart  so  as  to  have  turned  to  God;  you 
dreaded  and  avoided  self-denial  to  the  last  moment;  and 


PERSEVERANCE.  843 

would  then  have  sought  refuge  in  a  selfish  hope  had  not 
God  prevented.  To  you,  it  was  the  chief  offence,  or 
impediment  of  the  cross. — Gal.  6 ;  11. 

/.  Yes.  I  am  as  satisfied  as  of  my  existence  that,  but 
for  the  interposition  of  God  by  his  providence,  his  word, 
and  his  Spirit,  I  should  never  have  denied  myself  so 
as  to  have  reached  true  repentance.  It  is  to  sovereign 
grace  that  I  am  a  debtor  for  it. 

P.  And  in  like  manner  all  true  believers  are  indebted 
to  the  electing  grace  of  God  for  their  deliverance  from 
the  power  of  selfishness,  and  entrance  into  holiness. 
In  the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans  (ch.  8:  28 — 80)  the  apostle 
gives  a  detailed  view  of  this  doctrine.  lie  proceeds 
upon  the  assumption  that  mankind  are  free  moral 
agents,  unreasonably  unwilling  to  discharge  their  obli- 
gations to  God,  and  so  bent  on  sin  that,  if  left  to  them- 
selves, none  would  ever  turn  to  him.  God  knows  all 
things  (John  21 :  17),  for  he  can  foresee  the  results  of 
causes  and  effects  to  the  end  of  time ;  he  foreknew  all 
with  whom  he  had  to  deal,  what  influences  they  would 
exert  upon  themselves  and  upon  one  another,  and  what 
course  of  conduct  would  be  pursued  by  each  in  conse- 
quence. He  could  anticipate  what  instrumentalities  he 
could  put  in  operation,  what  counteracting  influences  he 
could  bring  to  bear  upon  each,  and  what  good  results 
he  could  produce,  if  he  would,  without  trenching  upon 
the  best  principles  of  moral  government,  and  without 
infringing  upon  the  free  action  and  consequent  account- 
ability of  his  rebel  subjects. 

/.  Of  course  he  could,  since  nothing  is  too  hard  for 
the  Lord.— Gen.  18 :  14. 

P.  Benevolence  necessarily  dictated  that  he  should  ac- 


344  CONVERSION. 

complisli  whatever  of  good  could  be  thus  safely  effected ; 
and  the  purpose  was  immediately  formed  by  him  to 
bring  to  holiness  all  those  who  could  be  thus  reached. 
In  the  words  of  the  Scriptures,  he  "predestinated  them 
to  be  conformed  to  the  [moral]  image  of  his  Son." 

/.  My  impression  in  the  days  of  my  selfishness,  was 
that  men  were  elected  from  perdition  to  eternal  happi- 
ness; I  now  see  that  it  is  from  sin  to  godliness,  and  that 
whatever  blessings  result  are  consequences  thereof. 

P.  Yes.  His  own  glory  was  the  ultimate  end  de- 
signed; and  he  selected  many  to  whom  Christ  might, 
as  an  elder  brother,  be  the  chief  and  head. 

I.  Here  again  I  was  in  an  error.  I  supposed  that 
but  few  were  selected,  while  the  many  were  rejected; 
and  this  made  me  doubt  somewhat. 

P.  If  you  only  take  into  view  the  mass  of  adults  who 
have  refused  the  gospel  in  the  present  and  past  ages  of 
the  world,  the  many  would  indeed  seem  to  be  rejected 
and  the  very  few  elected.  But  it  will  appear  different 
if,  in  addition  to  the  myriads  of  adults  who  have  al- 
ready gone  to  heaven,  or  who  are  now  serving  God  on 
earth,  you  include  all  the  infants  who  have  been  and 
who  shall  be  saved  by  preventing  grace,  and  all  per- 
sons who  shall  hereafter  be  converted,  and  especially 
the  vast  population  of  the  millenial  era  foretold  in  the 
Scriptures,  when  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Lord. — Is.  11:9. 

/.  I  see  that  our  ignorance  should  not  sit  in  judgment 
upon  God's  benevolence. 

P.  Those  whom  he  thus  wisely  and  safely  selected 
he  effectually  called  by  his  providence,  word,  and  Spirit. 
To  call,  is  to  command  or  summon  another  to  come; 


PERSEVERANCE.  346 

and  to  call  sinners  effectually  is  to  draw  them  into  a 
moral  union  with  Christ.  He  has  sent  forth  the  invita- 
tions, denunciations,  and  commands  of  the  Scriptures; 
he  has  established  his  church  on  earth  to  present  them, 
has  sent  abroad  his  ministers  to  proclaim  them,  and 
has  employed  a  most  wonderfal  combination  of  instru- 
mentalities to  reach  mankind.  Under  the  special  super- 
vision of  his  Spirit,  the  work  of  reclamation  has  gone 
on  from  age  to  age;  those  who  could  thus  be  brought 
to  "ponder  the  path  of  their  feet,  and  establish  their 
ways"  were  effectually  called  and  received;  and  those 
who  proved  incorrigible  under  such  means,  were  rejected. 

/.  But  could  not  God  change  the  hearts  of  all  man- 
kind by  whom  the  invitation  is  received? 

P.  It  cannot  be  shown  that  he  could  not;  but  it  can 
be  shown  that  to  work  miracles  apart  from  the  truth  or 
to  impart  private  revelations  in  these  latter  ages,  in 
order  to  do  so,  would  destroy  the  force  of  the  evidence 
on  which  the  divine  origin  of  his  public  revelation  is 
based,  and  leave  mankind  a  prey  to  every  fancy  and 
every  mysterious  imposition,  thereby  counteracting  the 
very  object  of  a  general  revelation.  No  doubt  greater 
faithfulness  and  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  church 
and  ministry  would  enable  the  work  of  God  to  prosper 
far  more  than  it  ever  has  done;  and  this  very  thing  is 
promised  in  the  latter  days:  "Many  shall  run  to  and 
fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be  increased." — Dan.  12 : 4. 
"Behold,  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  the  plow- 
man shall  overtake  the  reaper,  and  the  treader  of  grapes, 
him  that  soweth  the  seed;"  so  rapid  shall  be  conversions 
under  clear  truth. — Amos  9:  13.  The  m'ssions  of  the 
church  to  thd  heathen  world  are,  among  other  instrument- 


346  CONVERSION. 

alities,  evidently  destined  to  hasten  that  period  when 
"the  kingdoms  of  this  woi"ld  shall  become  the  kingdoms 
of  our  Lord,  and  of  his  Christ." — Kev.  11 :  15.  And  God 
himself  asks,  "What  could  have  been  done  more  to  my 
vineyard,  that  I  have  not  done  in  it?"  To  allege  that 
more  could  properly  have  been  done  by  him^  is  to  charge 
him  with  a  deficiency  in  benevolence;  and  "let  the 
potsherds  strive  with  the  potsherds  of  the  earth;  [but] 
woe  unto  him  that  striveth  with  his  Maker." 

/.  Of  course  he  cannot  be  expected  to  contravene  the 
wise  and  good  principles  upon  which  he  acts  toward  all 
his  creatures,  for  the  sake  of  the  ill-deserving. 

P.  Those  who  respond  to  his  effectual  call  to  repent- 
ance, he  justifies.  He  remits  their  sins  and  treats  them 
as  though  they  had  always  been  righteous,  on  account 
of  what  their  'elder  Brother  has  accomplished  in  their 
behalf.  And,  in  pursuance  of  his  purpose  to  finish  the 
work  begun  in  their  hearts,  he  proceeds  to  discipline, 
chasten,  and  prepare  them  for  his  own  presence  and  to 
enter  into  his  own  glory. — John  17 :  22. 

/.  0  how  glorious  and  good  is  God  as  exhibited  in 
these  principles !  He  has  a  right  to  reign,  and  he  ought 
to  "work  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will." 
I  can  now  understand  that  election  does  not  depend  upon 
any  foreseen  repentance  by  the  sinner  himself,  because 
he  never  will  deny  himself  and  repent  of  himself;  that 
it  is  not  partial,  since  the  offer  is  to  all  mankind,  and 
none  are  selected  because  they  deserve  it  more  than 
others,  all  being  totally  depraved;  and  that  none  are 
made  reprobates  who  are  not  incorrigibly  perverse  under 
the  circumstances,  and  so  have  none  to  blame  for  it 
but  themselves.     If  the  sinner  would  avoid* reprobation, 


PERSEVERANCE.  847 

he  must  "acquaint  himself  quickly  with  God;"  if  he 
declines,  he  should  not  therefore  blame  God  or  deny  his 
electing  grace  which  alone  makes  it  certain  that  any 
will  be  saved.  The  inquiry  of  the  apostle  strikes  me 
with  peculiar  force:  "  Why  doth  he  yet  find  fault?" 

P.  Some  find  fault  because  they  hate  the  sovereignty 
of  God  which  is  implied  in  the  doctrine  of  election ;  and 
others,  because  they  apprehend  that  they  themselves  are 
not  included  in  its  provisions.  Many  entertain  improper 
views  of  God,  looking  upon  him  as  unreasonable  or 
arbitrary  in  his  selections,  and  inferring  injustice  toward 
those  who  shall  not  be  saved.  But  he  has  the  best  of 
reasons,  his  own  glory ;  provision  has  been  made  for  all 
(1  John  2 : 2),  and  none  of  the  lost  will  fail  to  see  that 
they  might  have  been  saved  had  they  made  a  proper  use 
of  the  privileges  which  he  afforded  them. 

/.  What  is  intended  by  the  doctrine  of  the  final  per- 
severance of  believers? 

P.  It  does  not  import  that  believers  are  not  exposed, 
of  themselves,  to  fall  into  much  sin  and  even  into  final 
apostacy.  The  Scriptures  contain  statements  of  the 
weakness  and  transgressions  of  some  of  the  best  men, 
such  as  Moses,  David,  and  Paul.  That  there  is  nothing 
to  render  a  final  and  total  apostacy  naturally  impossible, 
is  evident  from  the  fact  that  many  in  heaven,  who  were 
far  more  holy  than  saints  under  the  discipline  of  this 
probationary  state,  apostatized  from  God  into  supreme 
habitual  selfishness  and  continued  sin.  And  so  the 
Scriptures  assume,  as  when  they  urge  believers  "to 
work  out  their  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling ;"  and 
when  Paul  declares  "  I  keep  my  body  [my  selfish  im- 
pulses] under,  and  bring  it  into  subjection;  lest  that  by 


348  CONVERSION. 

any  means,  wlien  I  have  preached  to  others,  I  myself 
should  be  a  cast-away." — 1  Cor.  9  :  27.  And  there  is  the 
express  declaration  of  God,  "When  a  righteous  man 
turneth  away  from  his  righteousness  and  committeth 
iniquity,  and  dieth  in  ihem^  for  his  iniquity  that  he  hath 
done  shall  he  die." — Ez.  18 :  26.  If  any  one,  presuming 
upon  his  forbearance  and  mercy,  shall  take  such  forbid- 
den courses,  he  has  just  ground  to  apprehend  that  a  holy 
God  will  fulfill  his  declaration  and  cast  him  off  for  ever. 
Under  no  circumstances  can  religion  be  safely  made  an 
apology  for  sin,  or  a  cloak  or  aid  to  it. 

/.  How  indispensably  important,  therefore,  is  watch- 
fulness, prayer,  and  firmness  of  purpose  on  our  part  in 
the  service  of  God! 

P.  Yes;  "Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence,  for  out 
of  it  are  the  issues  of  life." — Prov.  4 :  23.  To  be  found 
wanting  when  the  bridegroom  comes,  is  to  meet  a  certain 
exclusion  from  his  presence. — Matt.  25  : 1 — 13. 

L  But  will  not  God  receive  the  penitent  backslider 
before  the  hour  of  death  ? 

P.  Yes.  "x\gain,  when  the  wicked  man  turneth 
away  from  his  wickedness  that  he  hath  committed,  and 
doeth  that  which  is  lawful  and  right,  he  shall  save  his 
soul  alive:  Because  he  considereth,  and  turneth  away 
from  all  his  transgressions  that  he  hath  committed,  he 
shall  surely  live,  he  shall  not  die."— Ez.  18 :  27,  28. 
But  for  one  who  is  in  the  constant  perpetration  of  hein 
ous  offences  against  God,  to  rely  upon  impunity  from 
perdition  because  he  thinks  that  he  was  once  converted, 
and  that  he  will  return  to  God  some  time  or  other  before 
he  dies,  is  the  strongest  evidence  he  can  have  that  he 
is  still  in  love  with  sin,  that  his  heart  never  glowed  with 


PEliSEVEKANCE.  349 

a  true  love  to  God  or  holiness,  and  that  "he  has  neither 
part  nor  lot  in  this  matter."  I  do  not  speak  of  the 
feeble  frames  into  which  Christians  often  fall,  nor  of 
those  occasional  false  steps  which  result  from  sudden 
temptation,  and  which,  as  exceptions,  prove  that  holiness 
is  the  rule  of  their  lives ;  but  of  those  known,  willful, 
heinous,  and  habitual  courses  of  sin  which,  were  it  not 
for  their  profession,  would  class  their  perpetrators  with 
avowed  unbelievers.  The  offences  of  the  one  are  the 
errors  of  a  loving  child,  bitterly  repented  of  when 
realized;  but  those  of  the  other  are  the  outbursts  of 
the  hostility  of  a  secret  but  determined  enemy. 

/.  The  Christian  warfare  then  is  for  his  eternal  life  I 
I  do  not  wonder  that  the  apostle  was  so  anxious  to 
impress  on  his  converts  in  the  churches  the  necessity 
of  perseverance.  Amid  the  temptations,  dangerous  in- 
fluences, and  habits  of  the  world,  is  it  not  a  miracle 
that  any  are  kept  from  finally  falling? 

P.  Yes ;  it  is  indeed  a  miracle  of  divine  grace.  The 
doctrine  is,  that  true  believers,  being  kept  by  the  power 
of  God  through  the  workings  of  their  faith  or  their 
devotion  to  the  authority  and  glory  of  God,  will  neither 
tx)Mly  nor  finally  fall  away  from  the  state  of  grace ;  but 
shall  persevere  therein  to  the  end  and  be  eternally 
saved.  "And  I  give  unto  them  eternal  hfe;  and  they 
shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck  them  out  of 
my  hand.  My  Father  which  gave  them  me,  is  greater 
than  all;  and  no  one  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my 
Father's  hand."— John  10:  28,  29.  "Who  are  kept  by 
the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salvation,  ready  to 
be  revealed  in  the  last  time. — Keceiving  the  end  of  your 
faith,  even  the  salvation  of  your  souls." — 1  Pet.  1:5.  9. 
30 


350  CONVERSION. 

"The  rigliteous  also  shall  hold  on  his  way,  and  he  that 
hath  clean  hands  shall  be  stronger  and  stronger." — Job 
17:9;  Phil.  1 :  6.  Your  whole  dependence  must  be 
placed  on  God,  who  will  have  the  glory  of  your  pre- 
servation as  well  as  of  your  regeneration  and  adoption; 
but  you  must  not  therefore  intermit  your  own  watch 
and  full  purpose  of  heart  after  obedience.  With  such 
a  course  as  respects  God  and  yourself,  you  may  look 
forward  to  the  end  with  rejoicing.  The  grace  that  elected 
and  effectually  called  the  believer,  will  not  ultimately 
fail  through  any  want  of  ability  in  Christ  to  accomplish 
its  purpose. — Jude  24. 

I.  Surely  not.  That  this  blessed  doctrine  is  from 
God  is,  to  me,  a  fact  beyond  all  doubt.  But  why  is  it 
objected  to  by  many? 

P.  It  is  impossible  to  give  all  the  reasons.  When  an 
impenitent  sinner  who  has  embraced  a  false  hope  event- 
ually falls  back  into  the  world,  he  is  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  concluding  either  that  such  class  of  hopes 
with  their  pleasures  are  invalid,  and  that  he  had  no 
true  religion;  or  else,  that  they  are  Scriptural,  but  that 
he  has  fallen  from  grace.  His  selfish  heart  assisted  by 
the  notions  of  others  being  the  judge,  decides  him  to  the 
latter  opinion  of  course.  It  is  more  agreeable  to  his 
selfish  feelings,  and  affords  more  encouragement  that  he 
can  retrieve  his  position  by  renewing  his  evidences  when 
it  becomes  convenient;  and  so  the  doctrine  of  perse- 
verance is  denied.  The  testimony  of  Scripture  is  easily 
disposed  of;  for  about  the  last  thing  the  sinner  will 
ever  do  will  be  to  admit  a  truth  or  doctrine  that  he 
hates,  upon  the  simple  declaration  of  God  in  his  word. 
Some  Christians  have  been  led  to  doubt  this  doctrine, 


PERSEVERANCE.  851 

from  observing  so  many,  who  once  had  bright  hopes 
and  great  joys  and  who  for  a  time  seemed  to  run  well, 
relapse  into  sin  and  worldliness  with  a  peculiar  zest 
sharpened  by  their  late  abstinence.  Honestly  supposing 
that  their  hopes,  like  their  own,  proceeded  from  a  love 
to  the  glory  of  God,  they  are  dismayed  at  such  results; 
whereas,  they  were  selfish,  worldly,  and  sinful,  such  as 
you  first  started  with  years  ago.  And  such  is  the 
testimony  of  the  Scriptures:  "They  went  out  from  us, 
but  they  were  not  of  us;  for  if  they  had  been  of  us, 
they  would  no  doubt  have  continued  with  us ;  but  they 
went  out,  that  they  might  be  made  manifest  that  they 
were  not  all  of  us." — 1  John  2 :  19. 

/.  I  confess  tliat  I  used  to  doubt  this  doctrine  for  the 
reasons  you  first  gave ;  but  I  am  corrected.  0,  how  it 
encourages  my  soul  to  enter  upon  the  Christian  race 
with  ardor  and  hope!  And  my  own  feelings  testify 
that  it  can  never  become  an  occasion  of  lukewarmness 
in  Christ's  cause,  for  it  opens  a  sure  prospect  of  success 
in  the  very  things  on  which  my  heart  is  most  promi- 
nently fixed; — as  well  might  the  opening  of  the  cool 
fountain  before  the  thirsty  soul,  endanger  his  efforts  to 
drink  of  its  waters! 


CHAPTER  XL 


PERSEVERANCE. 


Inquirer.  Is  there  no  danger  of  anticipating  the  will 
of  Grod  or  the  guidance  of  his  Spirit,  by  devising  and 
entering,  of  ourselves,  upon  measures  for  the  promotion 
of  his  kingdom  and  the  welfare  of  mankind? 

Pastor.  So  far  from  it,  that  precise  thing  is  made  our 
duty  when,  in  dependence  on  him,  we  take  care  to 
enlighten  our  minds  in  his  will  by  studying  his  word, 
noting  his  providences,  and  exercising  all  the  wisdom 
we  can  summon.  "Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to 
do,  do  it  with  thy  might;  for  there  is  no  work,  nor 
device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the  grave  whither 
thou  goest."' — Eccl.  9 :  10.  The  Scriptures  no  where 
require  us,  as  some  of  the  slothful  suppose,  to  delay  in 
our  endeavors  until  some  special  or  signal  providence 
shall  indicate  the  supposed  will  of  God ;  but  they  rather 
inculcate  the  principle  that,  as  a  general  rule,  we  should 
lay  our  plans  and  enter  upon  their  execution  precisely 
as  worldly  men  would  in  respect  to  their  pursuits,  but 
yet  with  different  motives,  nobler  objects,  and  by  the 
use  of  divinely  sanctioned  means.  It  should  not  be 
suffered  that  "the  children  of  this  world  should  be 
wiser  in  their  generation  than  the  children  of  light" 
(Luke  16:8);  and  especially  that  we  should  make  the 


PERSEVERANCE.  853 

absence  of  some  special  divine  indication  the  apology 
for  our  neglects  in  laboring  for  God.  If  you  would 
render  to  liim  those  works  of  gratitude  as  well  as  of 
love  and  duty,  which  are  his  due,  do  not  fear  to  run 
before  the  Spirit;  but  remember  that  it  is  when  "a 
man's  heart  deviseth  his  way  "  and  he  thereby  puts  him- 
self in  motion,  that  "the  Lord  directeth  [the  course  of] 
his  steps." — Prov.  16:9.  The  last  thing  to  be  feared 
is  that  you  will  do  too  much  for  God. 

/.  This  is,  beyond  doubt,  the  true  principle;  and  with 
the  divine  aid  it  shall  be  my  rule  the  remainder  of  my 
days.  I  am  well  aware  of  the  necessity  of  not  only  over- 
coming vicious  and  slothful  habits,  but  of  substituting 
good  and  active  ones  in  their  place,  so  that  habit  as 
well  as  every  other  power  shall  be  enlisted  on  the  side 
of  Christ.  Among  the  various  things  I  propose,  one  is 
continually  to  lend  out  for  perusal  some  books  calculated 
to  elicct  iiiiiucdiate  good,  as  well  as  to  make  personal 
appeals  when  expedient. 

P.  By  the  plan  you  propose,  many  persons  can  be 
reached  by  the  means  of  grace;  and  by  steadily  prose- 
cuting it  rather  than  by  sufifering  it  to  expire  as  a  mere 
purpose,  you  can  have  no  conception  of  the  number 
of  souls  that  may  be  converted  to  Christ  or  may  be 
enlightened  and  strengthened  in  their  faith  and  works. 
The  kingdom  of  God  when  found,  is  seen  to  be  an 
exhaustless  treasure ;  and  he  who  has  secured  the  true 
riches  is  glad  to  guide  the  needy  to  them,  that  their 
souls  may  be  supplied  with  its  blessings.  There  was  a 
special  command  given  by  our  Lord  to  the  immediate 
disciples,  which  applies  as  decidedly  to  every  other  disci- 
ple in  every  age  and  country,  whose  age,  sex,  ability  and 
80*  ' 


B6^  CONVERSION. 

aptness  to  teach,  and  other  circumstances,  indicate  that 
the  path  is  open  before  him — namely,  "Go  ye  into  all 
the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." — 
Mark  16 :  15.  Thousands  of  young  men  who,  had  they 
given  due  attention  to  the  subject  and  sought  by  prayer 
and  meditation  to  be  directed  from  on  high,  would  have 
burned  with  anxiety  to  unfurl  the  gospel  standard,  and 
as  ambassadors  of  Christ  would  have  proclaimed  his 
reign  to  the  people,  have  failed  in  securing  that  glorious 
privilege,  through  their  neglect  of  such  examination. 

/.  I  can  conceive  of  no  higher  privilege  and  no  more 
desirable  avocation  in  life. 

P.  There  is  none,  God  himself  being  the  judge;  for 
he  had  but  one  Son,  and  him  he  gave  to  be  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel.  Apart  from  its  tendency  to  relieve  one 
from  the  temptations  to  which  those  are  exposed  who 
are  compelled  to  follow  some  worldly  business,  it  is  a 
professional  devotion  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good 
of  our  race;  and  none  but  those  who  have  entered  upon 
its  cares  and  trials,  can  appreciate  the  blessedness  and 
sweet  rewards  which  are  constantly  flowing  in  upon 
the  faithful  pastor.  If  every  ambitious  project  is  care- 
fully excluded  from  his  bosom,  if  the  desire  of  emulation 
and  worldly  honor  is  discarded,  if  pecuniary  emolument 
is  held  subordinate  to  duty,  and  if  to  a  warm  heart  is 
added  the  single  purpose  to  honor  God  (Matt.  6 :  22) 
in  his  profession  by  the  diligent  use  of  the  wisest  ascer- 
tainable means,  a  degree  of  success  will  crown  his  labors 
and  a  store  of  riches  will  be  laid  up  for  him  in  heaven 
for  the  repast  of  everlasting  ages,  beyond  his  largest 
conceptions.  God  in  his  providence  is  still  inquiring, 
"Whom  shall  I  send,  and  who  will  go  for  us?"     Will 


PERSEVERANCE.  365 

the  designated  reader  solemnly  and  truly  respond  with 
him  of  old,  "Here  am  I;  send  me/" 

/.  I  will  make  the  subject  my  careful  study,  will  seek 
the  light  and  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  will 
decide  according  to  my  best  judgment.  I  am  entirely 
the  Lord's;  I  hope  to  dwell  with  him  for  ever  hereafter 
as  a  "King  and  Priest  unto  God"  (Rev.  1:6);  and  shall 
esteem  it  the  highest  honor  to  which  a  mortal  can  attain, 
if  he  shall  permit  me  beforehand  to  proclaim  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  his  grace  to  dying  men. 

P.  And  may  he  give  you  a  multitude  of  deathless 
Bouls  as  your  everlasting  reward!  In  respect  to  the 
providence  of  God,  it  is  an  encouraging  reflection  that 
he  guides  the  minutest  as  well  as  the  most  important 
event,  overruling  even  sin  to  the  development  of  his 
justice  or  his  grace,  and  directing  all  things  in  right- 
eousness to  the  ultimate  promotion  of  his  own  glory. 
Even  the  general  laws  of  nature,  as  has  been  remarked 
by  a  recent  writer,  are  made  to  benefit  those  who  love 
God,  by  becoming  the  occasions  of  his  special  provi- 
dences toward  them.  There  is,  he  remarks,  something 
very  beautiful  and  encouraging  in  the  doctrine  of  par- 
ticular providences.  This  would  be  a  lonely,  dismal 
world  indeed,  to  a  devout  soul,  if  there  were  not  some 
intercourse  with  the  Father  of  Spirits;  and  we  know 
not  what  could  be  more  perfectly  adapted  to  the  heart's 
great  wants,  than  the  Scripture  assurance  that  God  ]&  in 
every  thing — that  all  life,  history,  and  experience  are 
but  an  account-current  kept  between  the  soul  and  its 
Maker.  The  course  of  events  goes  on  according  to 
general  laws  which  were  constructed  ages  ago,  without 
reference  to  any  individual  in  particular.     Yet  each  one 


856  CONVERSION. 

of  these  events  has  as  direct  a  reference  to  each  indi- 
vidual aifected  hj  them,  as  if  he  were  the  only  being 
in  the  world  besides  the  Creator,  and  the  whole  system 
of  things  were  constructed  for  his  special  admonition  and 
instruction.  The  hairs  of  our  head  fall  to  the  ground 
in  obedience  to  the  general  law  of  gravitation,  created 
millions  of  years  ago,  and  without  any  reference  to  any 
particular  individual ;  yet  every  hair  falls  by  the  par- 
ticular act  of  God  in  each  case,  as  much  as  if  the  great 
law  of  gravitation  was  created  for  no  other  purpose. 
An  accident  may  take  place — a  train  may  run  off  the 
track,  and  startle  some  thoughtless  passenger  by  the 
terrible  peril  of  instant  death.  The  crash  and  ruin  are 
the  result  of  physical  laws,  laid  down  without  any  refer- 
ence to  any  individual,  which  might  have  produced  this 
result  if  the  periled  passenger  had  not  been  on  board. 
His  presence  or  his  absence,  in  one  sense,  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  causation  of  the  event.  Yet  in  another 
and  interior  sense,  the  whole  event  was  brought  about 
with  special  reference  to  him.  The  general  law  inclosed 
a  specific  design;  there  was  as  much  a  particular  pur- 
pose in  the  accident,  as  if  the  whole  circle  of  causes  by 
which  the  accident  was  effected,  had  been  originally  and 
from  all  eternity,  created  solely  for  him.  The  moral 
purpose  of  summoning  his  thoughts,  with  a  terrible 
urgency,  to  the  consideration  of  his  spiritual  interests, 
may  have  been  an  express  reason  for  bringing  about 
the  result.  We  cannot  tell  how  it  is  that  this  harmony 
of  general  laws  and  specific  Providential  interposition  is 
effected — how  an  event  which  would  apparently  have 
taken  place  at  any  rate,  nevertheless  takes  place  only 
with  reference  to  a  particular  end.     Yet  it  is  none  the 


PERSEVERANCE.  357 

less  true  that  in  all  events  there  is  a  special  reference 
and  design,  however  brought  about;  and  the  thoughtful 
mind  can.  read  in  every  thing  that  takes  place,  no  matter 
by  what  means,  a  particular  message  to  himself — a  voice 
which  no  one  else  hears,  but  which  speaks  to  him  as 
distinctly  as  if  the  event  had  no  other  meaning  or  intent, 
and  no  other  being  were  affected  by  it.  The  world  may 
not  see  the  invisible  autograph  written  upon  any  par- 
ticular calamity  that  overtakes  a  Christian;  it  may  be 
nothing  but  a  general  result  of  general  laws.  The 
world  sees  nothing  in  the  occurrence  but  the  operation 
of  the  laws  of  natural  philosophy.  But  the  poor  victim 
sees  written  the  lessons  of  fearful  personal  instruction — 
an  individual  message  from  the  Infinite  Source  of  all 
laws  to  his  spirit,  as  clearly  and  rationally,  as  if  the 
event  took  place  for  no  other  purpose.  It  is  only  an 
accident  to  the  world ;  it  is  a  special  providence  to  the 
man  himself  Thus,  underneath  and  within  the  visible 
flow  of  events  in  this  world,  there  are  electric  streams 
of  thought  proceeding  from  God  to  men — a  perpetual 
secret  correspondence  going  on,  by  means  of  events  that 
occur,  that  mean  nothing  to  the  public,  but  are  full  of 
significance  to  the  individual.  The  Christian  has  thus 
a  kind  of  account-current  with  his  Maker;  a  system  of 
checks  and  admonitions — a  perpetual  lesson,  taught  by 
every-day  occurrences,  and  written  in  the  face  of  all 
nature,  history  and  experience.  They  all  have  a  meaning 
to  him  who  sees  God  in  them — sometimes  encouraging 
and  consoling — sometimes  admonitory  and  frowning. 
Beyond  their  general  significance,  the  events  of  his  life 
have  a  special  significance  to  him,  which  demonstrates 
the  presence  and  care  of  his  God,  and  peoples 

^    ^  P  R  A  . 

OP  THE 

X3"NIVEKSIT^ 


358  CONVERSION. 

with  a  holy  ministry.  Life  becomes  a  great  sermon — 
the  universe  a  whispering-gallery,  transmitting  perpetual 
messages  to  his  ear. 

/.  It  is  a  matter  of  great  joy  that  God  will  condescend 
to  communicate  thus  with  his  creatures.  Surely  "all 
things  shall  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God."  Will  you  explain  how  holy  affections  are  to  be 
called  into  exercise  by  the  believer? 

P.  They  are  never  to  be  produced,  even  in  the  regen- 
erate heart,  by  any  mental  struggles  to  excite  them; 
but  they  must  arise  according  to  the  established  laws  of 
mental  action.  The  converted  heart  being  favorably 
disposed  toward  holiness,  a  contemplation  of  the  various 
objects  toward  which  its  desires  tend  will  produce  spon- 
taneously the  corresponding  mental  affections,  which 
will  exist  in  greater  or  less  power  according  to  circum- 
stances. This  principle  is  exhibited  in  the  declaration 
of  the  Psalmist,  "while  I  was  musing  [silently  medita- 
ting and  contemplating  divine  truths]  the  fire  burned." 
— Ps.  89 : 8.  You  will  observe  also  that  the  intensity 
of  the  mental  interest  excited,  rather  than  the  degree  of 
pleasure  produced,  is  the  true  measure  of  an  affection; 
for  emotions  of  pleasure  are  adjuncts  to  the  excited 
desire,  and  it  may  and  often  does  exist  in  a  powerful 
degree  where  no  pleasure  is  present,  and  even  when 
painful  emotions  are  aroused,— as  where  some  great  evil 
is  apprehended  to  some  branch  of  Christ's  cause  for 
which  we  feel  particularly  solicitous. 

/.  I  have  always  heretofore  been  accustomed  to  mea- 
sure the  degree  and  even  the  existence  of  a  supposed 
religious  affection,  by  the  gratification  it  produced;  but 
I  see  that  even  here  my  selfish  heart  betrayed  me  in 


PERSEVERANCE.  359 

favor  of  its  cherished  object.  It  is  clear  that  the  degree 
of  our  interest  in  or  solicitude  for  an  object  on  its  own 
account,  will  be  the  measure  of  our  attachment  to  and 
love  for  it. 

P.  To  reduce  the  principle  to  practice:  If  you  would 
excite  the  affection  of  love  to  God,  (good-will  to  him 
having  been  previously  formed  by  regeneration,)  reflect 
calmly  on  his  principles,  character,  and  holy  conduct. 
Seek  the  aid  of , the  Scriptures,  and  the  works  of  that 
class  of  pious  men  who,  like  Baxter,  Payson,  and  others, 
show  themselves  familiar  with  God;  and  your  affection 
of  love  will  arise  in  purity  and  comfort. 

/.  On  Hihe  same  principle  that  reflection  upon  his 
creative  right  or  rightful  authority,  will  induce  me  to 
resolve  anew  to  obey  him  or  to  submit  implicitly  to  his 
will,  the  contemplation  of  the  moral  excellence  which 
he  develops  in  the  exercise  of  that  authority  will  draw 
forth  the  affections  of  my  heart? 

P.  Yes.  In  order  to  exercise  gratitude,  reflect  upon 
what  God  has  done  for  yourself  and  for  your  fellow- 
creatures;  recall  to  mind  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  his 
kindness  in  permitting  3^ou  to  return  to  him,  his  for- 
bearance, the  gift  of  the  Spirit,  his  remission  of  your 
sins,  his  preservation  and  preparation  of  you  for  endless 
life,  and  the  like.  These,  and  particularly  when  your 
own  ill-desert  is  contrasted  with  the  condescension,  grace, 
and  holy  benevolence  of  God  in  them,  will  arouse  the 
sentiment  of  gratitude  and  make  it  an  habitual  exercise. 

/.  The  very  enumeration  of  his  mercies  reminds  me 
that  I  can  never  be  sufficiently  grateful. 

P.  True ;  and  we  shall  always  remain  his  debtor,  for 
eternity  will  not  be  long  enough  to  enable  us  to  repay 


360  CONVERSION. 

the  debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  to  Christ.  In  order  to 
exercise  repentance  toward  sin  as  an  affection,  reflect 
deliberately  and  without  any  effort  to  produce  feelings, 
upon  the  course  of  your  past  life;  upon  the  habitual 
Selfishness  in  which  you  indulged,  producing  hostility 
toward  God ;  upon  the  evil  thoughts,  passions,  and  pur- 
poses which  you  harbored;  upon  the  evil  conduct  in 
breach  of  his  holy  law  which  you  have  perpetrated; 
and  upon  your  accustomed  neglect  of  every  duty  you 
owed  him.  Contrast  these  with  the  fact  that  his  au- 
thority should  have  been  observed,  and  you  will,  highly 
disapprove  of  your  conduct,  and  of  yourself  on  account 
of  it.  Contrast  them  with  the  rectitude,  purity,  holiness 
and  glory  of  God,  and  ill-will,  and  even  hatred  toward 
yourself  on  account  of  your  former  moral  deformity, 
will  arise.  Contrast  them  with  the  kindness,  grace,  and 
pardoning  goodness  of  Christ,  and  with  the  various 
other  motives  to  gratitude,  and  sorrow  will  arise  in  your 
heart  and  regrets  will  fill  your  soul  in  view  of  their 
ingratitude  and  baseness.  And  the  result  will  be  a 
renewal  of  your  purposes  to  abstain  thereafter  from 
every  known  sin,  through  Christ  strengthening  you. 

I.  Yes;  I  see  the  principle  throughout.  My  own 
properly  directed  agency  is  employed  by  the  Spirit  to 
produce  godly  repentance.  My  sins,  at  times,  look  so 
very  criminal  and  odious  that  I  am  almost  disheartened 
and  led  to  doubt  whether  I  truly  love  God.  I  have 
heretofore  supposed  that  when  a  person  became  truly 
converted  he  would  have  no  more  sense  of  sin. 

P.  Unconvicted  sinners  with  a  hope,  may  avoid  such 
a  sense,  but  not  the  Christian.  So  far  from  it,  he  will 
then  for  the  first  time  arrive  at  a  true  sense  of  its  guilt 


PERSEVERANCE.  361 

and  enormity ;  and  if  he  continues  to  dwell  on  his  past 
sins,  their  criminality  and  his  abhorrence  of  them  will 
increase.  In  his  own  view  he  may  seem  to  be  becoming 
more  and  more  guilty  in  consequence,  whereas  he  is 
but  just  discovering  the  degree  of  guilt  which  has  always 
been  imputable  to  him;  just,  as  it  has  been  said,  as  one 
who  has  been  long  shut  up  in  the  dark  with  venomous 
reptiles,  and  who  first  discovers  them  on  the  light  being 
admitted,  may  imagine  that  they  are  new  companions 
because  they  were  not  noticed  by  him  before. 

/.  I  see  it  must  be  very  much  so. 

P.  The  apostle,  when  speaking  of  the  worshippers 
under  the  law  having  "no  more  conscience  of  sins" 
(Heb.  10 : 2),  means  that,  had  the  law  been  availing, 
they  would  have  been  delivered  from  sin  itself.  But 
this  implies  neither  a  loss  of  a  sense  of  past  guilt,  nor 
freedom  from  future  sin.  Sorrow  and  hatred  for  sin,  and 
particularly  the  latter,  with  the  accompanying  disappro- 
bation of  conscience,  are  very  disheartening  feelings 
indeed;  but  they  are,  notwithstanding,  as  good  evidences 
of  a  converted  state  of  the  soul  as  is  love  to  God  itself 

I.  How  can  that  be? 

P.  They  imply  ill-will  toward  disobedience;  that  is 
the  converse  of  good-will  toward  obedience,  which  is 
conversion  itself  Besides,  sorrow  in  view  of  an  injury 
which  has  befallen  another,  for  example,  is  evidence 
conclusive  that  we  have  a  kind  regard  for  him ;  just  as 
indifference  on  the  occasion  would  show  that  we  felt  no 
interest  in  him  whatever.  On  the  same  principle  sor- 
row for  having  wronged  God  as  our  benefactor,  and 
hatred  to  ourselves  for  having  violated  our  obligations, 
evince  a  deep  regard  for  him;  just  as  the  indifference 
81 


362  CONVERSION. 

of  sinners  on  these  subjects  shows  that  they  have  no 
interest  or  love  whatever  for  him. 

I.  I  see  the  principle  now,  for  the  first  time.  But  it 
seems  as  if  I  could  never  recount  all  my  sins  to  God. 

P.  It  would  take  at  least  as  long  a  life  to  do  it,  as  it 
has  to  commit  the  sins  themselves.  We  ought  to  con- 
fess our  sins  so  far  as  we  can,  and  to  forsake  them  also; 
but  a  constant  dwelling  upon  the  subject  is  calculated 
to  repress  your  other  exercises  and  to  hinder  your  ac- 
tivity and  enjoyments,  as  is  to  be  seen  in  the  cases  of 
many  pious  persons  who  constantly  brood  over  their 
past  sins  and  present  short-comings.  Ezra  enjoined  an 
opposite  course  on  the  penitent  people ;  he  forbade  their 
further  mourning  and  weeping,  and  bade  them  to  rejoice 
in  the  Lord,  in  order  that  they  might  be  encouraged  in 
his  service:  "for  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your  strength." 
— ^Neh.  8 :  9,  10.  Watching  does  not  consist,  as  some 
suppose,  in  dwelling  upon  and  mourning  over  the  past; 
but  in  guarding  our  feelings  and  conduct  for  the  future, 
in  endeavoring  to  act  unselfishly  by  holding  others' 
rights  and  interests  on  a  par  with  our  own,  and  in  order- 
ing our  conduct  in  heart  and  life  aright  before  God. 

/.  That  certainly  must  be  the  most  profitable  course. 

P.  In  order  to  produce  an  interest  toward  the  dis- 
ciples of  our  Lord,  reflect  upon  their,  new  relations  to 
him  and  to  yourself,  and  contemplate  their  holy  prin- 
ciples, their  desires  for  the  glory  of  your  heavenly 
Father,  their  efforts  to  put  on  his  moral  image,  and  their 
labors  to  advance  his  cause,  overlooking  those  defects 
to  which  frail  human  nature  (including  yourself)  is  so 
liable.  Thus  an  attachment  to  them  as  disciples  (John 
15 :  17)  will  be  elicited  and  become  habitual,  and  you 


PERSEVERANCE.  363 

will  receive  in  return  the  blessing  of  God  in  your  own 
soifl.  We  can  now  hardly  comprehend  the  extent  of 
mutual  love  which  Christians  exercised  in  the  early  days 
of  the  church.— John  15  :  12  ;  1  John  3 :  16. 

/.  I  thank  you  for  this  advice;  and  it  shall  be  my 
constant  study  to  observe  it.  I  can  foresee  that  it  will 
produce  almost  incalculable  comfort  and  usefulness. 

P.  In  order  to  produce  an  interest  in  behalf  of  impen- 
itent sinners,  reflect  calmly  upon  their  unholy  character, 
their  evil  conduct  toward  God,  and  upon  their  horrible 
doom.  Then  holy  sympathy  in  view  of  their  prospects, 
will  unite  with  right  desires  for  their  conversion  to 
holiness  and  their  devotion  to  the  service  and  glory  of 
God.  But  of  what  practical  use  can  such  feelings  be, 
unless  you  are  impelled  by  them  to  labor  for  the  con- 
version of  sinners  to  Christ? 

/.  Of  none.     Whatever  I  can  do,  shall  be  done. 

P.  If  you  would  cultivate  zeal  for  God,  and  energy 
in  active  benevolence  or  in  any  other  good  work,  you 
must  deliberately  examine  its  character,  weigh  its  claims, 
and  address  yourself  to  it  with  a  whole  heart;  then 
your  feelings  will  flow  forth.  In  order  to  derive  ben- 
efit from  studying  the  Scriptures,  or  from  prayer,  you 
should  avoid  those  preliminary  efforts  to  force  the  mind 
to  feel,  or  to  place  it  in  a  supposed  holy  frame,  or  to 
make  mechanical  impressions  upon  it,  which  many 
suppose  to  be  indispensable.  Peruse  the  word  of  God 
with  becoming  gravity,  but  with  the  simple  purpose 
of  acquiring  information,  precisely  as  you  would  any 
other  book ;  and  your  interest  in  its  truths  will  be  grad- 
ually excited,  as  your  understanding  becomes  enlight- 
ened in  respect  to  them.     When  you  retire  to  pray, 


B6i:  CONVERSION. 

let  jour  thoughts  turn  calmly  toward  God  and  the 
various  subjects  on  which  you  feel  interested ;  dedicate 
yourself  anew  to  Christ  and  his  service;  and  humbly 
present  to  him  those  things  which  you  desire ;  then  the 
duty  will  be  a  source  of  pleasure. 

/.  What  is  prayer? 

P.  It  is  the  expression  before  God  of  our  actual 
desires. 

I.  What  is  meant  by  the  prayer  of  faith  which  the 
Scriptures  represent  as  prevalent  with  God? 

P.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  subject  on  which  men's 
fancies  have  more  prevailed,  than  on  this;  and  yet  the 
true  answer  will  be  perfectly  obvious  upon  examination. 
Every  Christian  has,  it  is  believed,  exercised  it  at  some 
period,  though  he  may  have  been  unaware  of  the  char- 
acter of  his  feelings  at  the  time.  If  we  draw  our  answer 
from  the  Scriptures,  we  shall  find  that  it  is  there  pre- 
sented in  two,  and  somewhat  different  aspects.  In  its 
primitive  sense,  it  is  the  belief  of  the  disciple  that  God 
will  glorify  himself  in  respect  to  the  request  presented, 
and  his  entire  and  cordial  consent  that  he  may  do  so 
whether  it  involves  a  grant  or  denial  of  his  petition. 
Said  our  Lord,  "  All  things  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in 
prayer,  believing,  ye  shall  receive." — Matt.  21 :  22.  The 
condition  here  expressed,  believing,  (pisieuontes)  does  not 
refer  to  the  assurance  of  the  petitioner  that  he  shall 
receive  the  specific  thing  requested,  but  to  the  exercise 
of  Christian  faith  in  respect  to  it,  or  that  which  con- 
stitutes one  a  Christian.  It  intends  his  reception  of  Christ 
as  God  not  only,  but  also  the  submission  of  his  petition 
to  be  decided  by  him  as  his  glory  shall  dictate,  imply- 
ing a  preference  of  that  to  the  thing  requested. 


PERSEVERANCE.  365 

/.  Then  every  true  Christian  can  exercise  the  prayer 
of  faith  in  this  sense. 

P.  Yes;  and  it  is  as  obviously  his  duty  as  it  is  to 
love  God.  But  our  Lord,  in  reference  to  the  prevailing 
dereliction  on  this  ver}'  point,  inquired,  "When  the  Son 
of  man  cometh,  shall  he  find  faith  on  the  earth?" — Luke 
18: 1 — 8.  It  is  presumptuous  to  have  a  devotion  for 
the  things  we  desire  for  ourselves,  superior  to  the  de- 
mands of  the  divine  glory  in  respect  to  them. 

/.  Then  every  believing  prayer  will  be  answered 
either  in  the  specific  thing  desired,  or  in  the  more  im- 
portant end  of  the  glory  of  God  in  respect  to  it  ? 

P.  Certainly.  The  Christian  may,  when  he  com- 
mences his  prayer,  be  so  fixed  upon  having  the  partic- 
ular boon  conferred,  that  he  may  lose  sight  of  the  more 
important  consideration  of  the  exigencies  of  the  divine 
glory ;  a  thing  which  is  very  common,  as  in  the  case  of 
Paul,  who  was  on  that  account  denied  his  petition  thrice 
presented. — 2  Cor.  12 :  8.  When  the  Christian,  by  re- 
flection and  the  tendencies  of  prayer  itself  under  the 
Spirit,  comes  to  realize  that  the  glory  of  God  is  con- 
cerned in  the  matter,  his  preference  thereof  will  be 
elicited,  and  he  will  soon  be  able  through  the  Spirit  to 
give  it  tl;e  ascendancy  over  the  specific  object  of  his 
petition;  and  he  will,  while  anxiously  desiring  that, 
readily  superadd  the  request  for  God  to  glorify  himself 
the  rather,  whether  his  specific  request  is  granted  or 
refused.  Thus  Paul  came  to  rejoice  in  the  glory  of 
the  grace  of  Christ  as  manifested  through  that  very 
thorn  in  the  flesh,  from  which  he  had  so  earnestly 
desired  to  be  delivered.  The  Christian  will,  after  all, 
receive  at  the  hands  of  his  heavenly  Father  the  very 
31* 


366  CONVERSION. 

answer  which  lie  would  himself  select,  could  he  in  a 
proper  frame  of  mind  survey  the  whole  field  and  ascer- 
tain all  the  considerations  which  should  govern  his  case; 
for  he  would  decide  then,  just  as  God  will  now  under 
his  perfect  knowledge  of  the  whole  subject.  And  should 
God  lean  in  his  favor  at  the  expense  of  his  own  glory, 
he  would  be  eventually  disappointed  and  dissatisfied. 

/.  I  can  now  understand  somewhat  of  the  force  of 
that  assurance,  "Delight  thyself  also  in  the  Lord;  and 
he  shall  give  thee  the  desires  of  thy  heart,"  which  will 
then  terminate  on  him  and  his  glory.— Ps.  87 :  4.  What 
a  sweet  encouragement  is  this  to  cast  all  our  desires  and 
cares  upon  him  who  careth  for  us ! — 1  Pet.  5 :  7.  And 
how  intelligible  as  well  as  proper  is  that  declaration, 
"Ye  ask,  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask  amiss  [not  for 
the  divine  glory],  that  ye  may  consume  it  upon  your 
lusts "  or  selfish  gratifications. — Jas.  4 :  3. 

P.  The  second  aspect  of  the  prayer  of  faith  includes 
this  idea  of  deferring  the'  subject  to  the  divine  glory, 
and  adds  the  firm  persuasion  that  the  glory  of  God  will 
be  best  promoted  by  bestowing  the  specific  good  de- 
sired, and  that  such  good  will  certainly  he  conferred  on 
the  petitioner.  Thus,  our  Lord  declared,  "What  things 
soever  ye  desire  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  ye  receive 
them,  and  ye  shall  have  them." — Mark  11 :  24. 

/.  Are  we  to  understand  from  this,  that  by  a  simple 
and  successful  effort  of  the  disciple  to  believe  that  his 
specific  request  will  be  granted,  he  will  secure  a  favor- 
able answer?  If  so,  it  seems  that  Christ  has  placed 
himself  in  the  hands  of  his  servants,  and  that  the  facility 
with  which  any  one  can  believe  things  is  the  measure 
of  his  power  over  him  and  his  'irovidence. 


PERSEVERANCE.  867 

P.  Christ  has  not  thus  endangered  himself,  or  placed 
his  glory  at  the  hazard  of  fallible  creatures.  In  their 
extremities,  the  disciples  are  prone  to  believe  in  those 
things  which  they  consider  the  best  for  themselves ;  but 
these  are  not  always  the  most  worthy  of  God. 

I.  What  is  the  ground,  then,  for  believing  that  the 
specific  thing  will  be  granted? 

P,  The  determination  of  God  to  confer  it. 

/.  Of  course;  but  how  are  we  to  ascertain  such  de- 
termination ? 

P.  In  one  of  two  ways,  when  it  exists,  and  when  he 
condescends  to  inform  us  in  either.  The  one  is  by  his 
particular  promise  applicable  to  the  case;  and  the  other 
is  by  the  intervention  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  With  regard 
to  the  former,  you  wiQ  remember  that  many  specific 
promises  are  made  to  the  praying  disciple;  these,  on 
complying  with  the  conditions,  he  may  and  ought  to 
apply  to  himself  the  same  as  if  God  had  spoken  to  him 
personally ;  and  on  so  doing  he  will  believe  that  he  receives 
them;  and  then  he  shall  have  them,  for  he  honors  God 
by  confiding  in  his  veracity.  Thus,  the  aids  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  are  promised  him  (Luke  11 :  13) ;  every 
necessary  worldly  supply  (Ps.  37 :  8);  the  supervision  of 
providence  for  his  best  good  (Rom.  8:28);  eternal  life. 
— John  10 :  28.  To  expect  a  favorable  answer,  and 
indeed  to  anticipate  it  with  entire  confidence  on  such 
grounds,  is  reasonable  and  also  safe  to  the  divine  glory 
because  authorized  by  God  himself 

/.  Certainly  I  can  unhesitatingly  confide  in  such  an 
answer  in  that  case.  But  how  can  I  reach  it  in  cases 
where  there  is  no  particular  promise? 

P.  You  cannot,  unless  the  Spirit  brings  you  there;  your 


868  CONVERSION. 

own  efforts  will  be  of  no  avail  in  such  cases,  or  rather 
will  tend  to  an  unauthorized  confidence  which  will 
surely  be  disappointed.  It  depends  solely  on  God  then 
to  grant  the  persuasion  that  we  shall  receive  the  thing 
asked  for.  It  is  our  duty  to  exercise  the  first  kind  of 
faith,  by  yielding  the  whole  matter  into  the  hands  of 
God,  willing  to  have  his  will  and  glory  promoted 
whether  our  desire  is  granted  or  not;  and  then,  if  he 
sees  fit,  we  shall  know  beforehand  what  is  his  will, 
otherwise  we  shall  not.  It  is  the  Spirit  who  "helpeth 
our  infirmities,  for  we  know  not  what  we  should  pray 
for  [nor  how  to  pray  for  it]  as  we  ought;  but  the  Spirit 
itself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groanings  which 
cannot  be  uttered.  And  he  that  searcheth  the  hearts 
knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of  the  Spirit,  because  he 
maketh  intercession  for  the  saints  according  to  the  will 
of  Godr — Eom.  8 :  26,  27.  Prayer  when  thus  dictated 
by  the  Spirit,  may  well  leave  on  the  mind  of  the  earnest 
petitioner  a  sweet  and  perfect  confidence  that  his  re- 
quest is  secured !  for  if  it  was  from  God  the  Spirit,  it  is 
surely  granted.  "The  effectual  fervent  [the  urgent 
and  strenuous]  prayer  of  a  righteous  man,  availeth 
much" — that  is,  is  prevalent  with  God. — Jas.  5:16. 

/.  I  confess  that  I  have  not  before  observed  the  per- 
tinency of  that  passage  in  Eomans,  having  always  con- 
fined it  to  some  mysterious  influences  in  the  apostolic 
days.  I  suppose  prayer  is  often  answered  upon  our 
compliance  with  the  condition  in  Matt.  21 :  22,  and 
where  this  persuasion  of  receiving  the  thing  desired 
does  not  exist? 

P.  No  doubt,  for  they  are  independent  conditions. 
Both  include  a  superior  regard  to  the  divine  glory  a^ 


PERSEVERANCE.  369 

their  chief  moral  element ;  while  the  last  adds  thereto  a 
present  conviction  of  the  answer  being  received,  which, 
in  the  first  is  to  be  known  only  when  the  event  actually 
occurs.  In  either  case,  the  immediate  effect  is  content- 
ment with  the  will  of  God  on  the  subject,  and  an  im- 
pression that  further  urgency  with  him  is  uncalled  for. 

/.  Just  as  I  felt,  when  I  first  resigned  myself  entirely 
to  the  divine  will.  I  then  had  no  heart  to  ask  God  for 
any  thing  merely  personal,  but  preferred  to  let  all  rest 
with  him.  But  are  such  prayers  common  among  Chris- 
tians ? 

P.  Yes ;  more  common  than  their  mistaken  views  of 
humility  will  permit  them  to  allow.  Let  me  mention 
an  occurrence  which,  amongst  many  others,  fell  under 
my  own  observation,  to  illustrate  this  whole  doctrine  of 
the  prayer  of  faith.  A  few  years  since,  a  pious  lady 
was  called  to  witness  the  rapid  decline  toward  the  grave, 
of  a  lovely  but  unconverted  daughter  of  seventeen, 
under  the  incurable  progress  of  consumption.  Aware 
that  God  required  the  use  of  adequate  means  for  her 
conversion,  she  procured  the  advice  of  a  clerical  friend 
in  whose  ability  to  impart  right  instruction  she  had 
confidence.  He  found  the  daughter  engrossed  in  self- 
ish alarms  at  her  impending  death  and  perdition,  and 
spending  her  time  in  endeavoring  to  deepen  her  feel- 
ings and  trying  to  produce  good  desires  and  affections, 
in  order  to  obtain  encouragement  to  hope  in  Christ 
for  pardon  from  punishment,  and  for  future  peace.  In 
this  she  had  been  aided  by  the  mistaken  zeal  of  an 
anxious  but  impenitent  father ;  who  being  himself  igno- 
rant of  self-denial,  and  looking  upon  a  sense  of  pardon 
and  a  hope  with  its  pleasures  as  religion  itself,  very 


370  CONVERSION. 

naturally  supposed  that  he  was  advising  her  in  the  right 
way  in  order  to  a  valid  hope.  The  imminence  of  her 
death  so  increased  the  anxieties  of  the  sick  girl  for  a 
hope  of  her  own  happiness,  and  made  her  so  reluctant 
to  abandon  the  pursuit  of  it,  that  her  clerical  instructor 
almost  despaired  of  her  conversion.  She  was  ready  to 
resolve  upon  the  performance  of  every  duty  and  to 
promise  all  faithfulness,  but  every  effort  was  made  under 
the  promptings  of  her  selfish  desires,  and  consequently 
her  heart  remained  unchanged.  Appalled  at  her  obsti- 
nacy and  fearful  prospects,  her  mother  fled  to  her  closet; 
and  there,  where  no  eye  nor  ear  but  those  of  God  could 
see  or  hear,  she  fell  prostrate  before  him,  and  ''with 
groanings  that  could  not  be  uttered"  confessed  her  sins 
and  the  sins  of  her  daughter,  and  entreated  for  the  soul 
of  her  child.  But  no  help  came;  and  again  and  still, 
again  in  her  agony  her  cry  went  up  to  God,  until  an 
exhaustion  of  strength  compelled  her  to  desist.  A  mo- 
ment's calm  reflection  then  recalled  her  to  a  sense  of 
the  superior  importance  of  the  divine  will,  and  showed 
that  her  anxiety  in  her  petition  was  more  for  the  benefit 
of  her  daughter  than  for  the  glory  of  her  God.  Con- 
science-stricken at  her  presumption  in  loving  her  child 
more  than  her  Creator,  and  in  pressing  her  suit  for  an 
idol,  she  yielded  the  point,  and  solemnly  dedicated  her 
unreservedly  to  God  to  be  disposed  of  according  to  his 
will,  and  not  her  own;  and  she  besought  him  to  glorify 
his  own  name  in  whatever  way  he  should  see  fit  in 
respect  to  her  rebellious  daughter.  The  work  was  done ! 
for,  in  the  language  of  our  Lord,  she  had  asked  helieviiig^ 
or  in  the  spirit  of  a  true  believer  in  God  (Matt.  21 :  22); 
she  had  come  to  prefer  God  and  his  glory  to  the  per- 


PERSEVERANCE.  371 

sonal  good  of  her  child.  She  knevj  assuredly  that,  what- 
ever he  might  do  with  her,  he  would  glorify  his  own 
holy  name ;  and  satisfaction  at  that  result  flowed  in  upon 
her  soul,  and  peace  with  the  will  of  God  absorbed  her 
anxieties  for  her  daughter.  Her  prayer  being  thus  an- 
swered in  respect  to  the  most  important  point,  the  glory 
of  God,  she  arose  composed  and  contented;  for  she 
found  that  she  could  pray  no  more,  since  she  had  noth- 
ing further  to  ask  on  that  subject.  As  she  returned  to 
the  sick  room  of  the  sufferer,  a  sweet  confidence  in  God 
spread  through  her  soul,  and  she  felt  assured  that  her 
daughter  was  safe  in  his  hands!  This  was  the  "believ- 
ing that  ye  receive"  referred  to  by  our  Lord. — Mark 
11 :  24.  It  came  from  no  reasonings  or  efforts  of  her 
own,  but  flowed  from  her  devotion  to  the  glory  of  God, 
and  from  the  breathings  of  the  Spirit  who  had  made 
intercession  for  her,  in  her  heart,  according^  to  the  will 
of  God,  Possessed  thus  of  an  answer  in  her  own  soul, 
she  entered  that  room  to  behold  it  verified  in  the  heart 
of  her  daughter;  for  upon  a  renewal  of  the  counsel  and 
efforts  of  her  spiritual  adviser,  the  Holy  Spirit  most  evi- 
dently withdrew  her  from  her  selfish  purpose,  led  her  in 
a  despair  of  success  to  suspend  all  her  selfish  endeavors, 
and  touching  her  heart  as  He  only  can,  turned  her  soul 
into  repentance  for  sin.  Then,  with  bitter  self-reproaches 
for  her  stubborn  resistance  of  her  duty  to  God,  with  tears 
in  view  of  the  past  selfishness  of  her  heart,  and  with  a 
perfect  loathing  and  abhorrence  of  her  sins  as  morally 
depraved  and  odious,  she  cast  herself  unreservedly  on 
God,  consenting  that  his  will  should  be  done  with  her 
in  preference  to  her  own,  and  preferring  his  reign  and 
rejoicing  in  his  glory.     The  answer  was  accomplished! 


372  CONVERSION. 

she  too  had  now  become  a  believer.  She  grew  rapidly  in 
love,  humility,  and  every  Christian  grace,  a  wonder  to 
herself  that  she  had  ever  escaped  the  snares  of  a  self- 
ish heart,  and  blessing  God  that  he  had  withheld  her 
from  those  selfish  hopes  which  she  had  so  eagerly 
sought.  The  moral  beauty  of  her  new  character  charmed 
those  who  saw  her,  and  gave  great  power  to  her  affec- 
tionate counsels  to  her  friends  to  prepare  to  meet  their 
God.  In  a  few  weeks  she  girded  herself  up  for  the 
passage  through  the  dark  valley  of  death,  for  the  Mes- 
senger of  the  Covenant  was  come  to  take  her  to  her 
heavenly  home.  The  calm  serenity  of  that  death-scene, 
her  quiet  endurance  of  the  last  pangs,  her  humble  sub- 
mission, her  glowing  love  and  confidence  in  God,  her 
assured  hope,  produced  impressions  upon  her  father's 
mind  which  never  subsided  until,  after  the  lapse  of 
years,  he  was  brought  to  turn  his  own  feet  into  the 
paths  of  God's  testimonies.  And  that  conversion,  in 
answer  to  the  earnest  and  faithful  prayer  of  that  mother, 
proved  to  be  the  commencement  of  a  work  of  grace 
such  as  has  seldom,  if  ever,  been  witnessed  in  our  day, 
and  the  results  of  it  bid  fair  to  be  marked  on  the  his- 
toric page  of  piety  to  the  remotest  time.  Such  is  the 
prayer  of  faith;  a  prayer  unknown  to  the  backsliding 
heart,  and  one  which  can  be  comprehended  or  enjoyed 
only  when  the  soul  is  near  its  God. 

/.  This  explanation  of  the  proper  method  of  going  to 
Christ  in  prayer,  encourages  me  to  discharge  that  duty 
with  increased  pleasure.  And  I  thank  you  especially 
for  describing  the  way  in  which  parents  should  dedicate 
their  children  to  him. 

P.  Christian  parents  no  doubt  often  fail  of  the  bless- 


PERSEVEKANCE.  378 

ings  of  the  Covenant,  by  not  fulfilling  the  implied  con- 
dition on  their  part.  Many,  when  they  professedly 
dedicate  their  offspring  to  God,  are  impelled  simply  by 
an  anxiety  for  their  eternal  welfare.  This  is  a  natural 
feeling,  but  they  err  in  making  their  personal  good  the 
ultimate  object  of  the  consecration ;  and  they  also  dis- 
honor God,  by  displacing  his  glory  from  its  supremacy, 
and  by  impliedly  dictating  to  their  Sovereign  in  the 
matter.  It  is  often  more  difficult  for  the  parent  to  make 
an  unreserved  surrender  of  his  child  to  God,  that  God 
may  be  glorified  in  whatever  way  in  preference  to  its 
personal  welfare,  than  it  was  to  surrender  his  own  soul. 
But  obviously  he  cannot  reasonably  expect  Christ  to 
accept  the  dedication  at  his  hands  while  he  prefers  it  as 
a  cherished  idol ;  while,  by  a  full  surrender  in  a  supe- 
rior regard  to  the  divine  glory,  with  the  purpose  to  train 
up  his  child  for  God,  and  with  a  diligent  execution  of 
it  under  whatever  embarrassments  and  difficulties,  he 
may  rest  assured  that  he  will  be  found  to  be  Christ's  in 
the  day  in  which  he  makes  up  his  jewels.  The  proofs 
of  faithfulness  on  the  part  of  God  to  his  covenant,  are 
too  numerous  to  have  escaped  your  observation. 

/.  Yes ;  and  I  now  perceive  the  secret  of  the  intelli- 
gent and  devoted  Christian  parents'  success;  and  also, 
as  "whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin"  (Rom.  14:  23),  the 
cause  of  the  sad  failure  of  others.  Would  to  God  that 
all  believing  parents,  instead  of  prizing  their  offspring 
more  than  God,  would  thus  truly  consecrate  them  to 
him,  and  carefully  educate  them  for  his  service !  Then 
the  courts  of  Zion  would  be  crowded  with  the  children 
of  the  covenant. 

P.  In  proceeding  I  will  observe  that  there  is  a  variety 
32 


374  CONVERSION. 

in  the  motives  presented  in  the  Scriptures,  a  misapplica- 
tion of  which  produces  much  obscurity  and  embarrass- 
ment. You  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  Scriptures,  in 
dealing  with  mankind,  always  contemplate  one  of  two 
things — namely,  either  to  produce  conviction  of  sin  with 
its  attending  mental  states,  or  to  produce  conversion 
and  growth  in  grace,  or  sanctification;  and  that  they 
always  present  the  motives  adapted  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  these  respective  ends.  Thus,  for  example,  the 
terrors  of  the  law  are  presented,  not  as  a  motive  by 
which  to  convert  sinners,  but  to  arouse  them  to  reflec- 
tion on  their  dangerous  state  and  so  prepare  them  for  a 
realization  of  their  guilt;  the  catalogue  of  their  sins  is 
arraigned  before  their  minds  by  the  Spirit,  in  order  to 
convict  them  of  sin  and  of  the  certainty  of  their  judg- 
ment; and  the  promises  of  the  gospel  for  regenerated 
souls  are  made  known  to  sinners,  not  as  motives  to  con- 
version or  that  they  may  embrace  them  before  regenera- 
tion, but  that  they  may  know  the  rich  grace  of  God,  so 
that  their  selfish  hearts  may  not  reject  the  means  of 
enlightenment  and  conviction  before  the  conscience  is 
aroused  with  sufficient  power  to  hold  them,  under  God, 
and  bring  them  to  submission  as  soon  as  they  find  the 
promises  beyond  their  reach.  And  on  the  other  hand, 
the  authority  of  God  is  presented  not  only  to  convince 
and  convict  the  unconverted  mind,  but  as  the  motive 
which  is  ultimately  to  break  his  will  into  submission ; 
the  character  of  Christ  and  his  offices  are  given  to 
engage  the  confidence  and  affections  of  the  submissive 
heart;  and  the  promises  and  hopes  of  the  gospel,  to 
cheer  him  onward  in  his  holy  and  heavenly  course. 
Every  gospel  truth  is  adapted  to  produce  its  peculiar 


PERSEVEKANCE.  876 

impression  under  attending  circumstances ;  and  a  careful 
observation  of  the  subject  may  make  you  an  adept  in 
the  use  of  truth  as  a  motive  influence ;  and  you  will 
discover  that  when  God  sends  forth  his  truth  to  accom- 
plish his  will  (Is.  55 :  11)  it  is  always  such  truth  as  is 
adapted  to  produce  the  results  he  previously  contem- 
plated. 

,  I.  It  is  clear  to  me  now  that  truths  designed  for 
specific  classes  or  objects,  will  be  entirely  out  of  place 
when  indiscriminately  applied.  The  most  melancholy 
perversion,  it  seems  to  me,  is  the  presentation  of  the 
promises  of  the  gospel  as  the  motives  under  which 
impenitent  sinners  are  to  turn  to  Christ.  It  was  that 
which  weU  nigh  ruined  my  own  soul;  for,  so  far  from 
leading  me  really  to  God,  they  were  seized  upon  by  my 
selfish  heart  and  perverted  to  an  encouragement  of  its 
own  purposes,  under  the  guise  of  a  change.  And  I 
was  sustained  in  my  delusion  by  the  cherished  belief 
that  we  could  not  be  expected  to  understand,  in  this 
world,  how  sinners  were  converted. 

P,  It  is  true  that  no  one  can  understand  how  the 
Holy  Ghost  reaches  the  heart  in  regeneration,  because 
even  were  we  capable  of  comprehending  it,  God  has  not 
seen  fit  to  reveal  the  mode  to  us.  In  some  passages  he 
merely  declares  the  fact  that  he  will  give  a  new  heart 
(Ez.  36 :  26);  in  others,  he  states  the  same  fact,  with  the 
addition  that  he  does  it  by  the  instrumentality  of  the 
truth  (Jas.  1:18);  but  in  neither  case  does  he  inform 
us  how  he  grasps  or  renders  efficacious  the  sword  of 
truth  to  accomplish  that  result.  As  respects  one's  vol- 
untary action  in  conversion,  it  is  impossible  for  the 
impenitent  mind  to  comprehend  it  beforehand,  for  the 


376  CONVEBSION. 

same  reason  that  no  one  can  understand  any  moral 
or  mental  exercise  which  he  has  himself  never  before 
experienced.  And  this  was  the  purport  of  our  Lord's 
remark  to  the  impenitent  Nicodemus,  in  answer  to  his 
request  for  information  on  the  subject.  "The  wind 
[representing,  here,  the  truth]  bloweth  where  it  listeth, 
and  thou  [Mcodemus,  a  sinner]  hearest  the  sound  thereof, 
but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh  [how  it  is  sent  by 
the  Spirit,]  and  whither  it  goeth,"  or  what  it  is  de- 
signed to  accomplish. — John  3 :  8.  He  must  first  expe- 
rience the  change,  and  then  he  can  understand  the 
process  in  the  review,  just  as  he  would  know  from 
observation,  memory,  or  consciousness,  any  other  vol- 
untary act, — 1  Cor.  2 :  11.  14.  Thus,  in  your  own  case 
at  first,  you  did  not  understand  what  the  duty  of 
conversion  was  nor  how  it  was  to  be  performed,  because 
you  had  no  experience  on  the  subject;  and  I  did  not 
undertake  the  vain  task  of  explaining  it  to  you,  for  you 
could  not  have  been  made  to  comprehend  it.  But  after 
you  had  yielded  to  the  simple  mandate  of  conscience 
by  consenting  to  obey  God,  whereby  you  gained  an 
experience  of  the  duty,  you  was  able  to  understand  it 
as  clearly  as  any  other  voluntary  act  of  your  life.  The 
only  reasons  why  true  converts  are  ever  at  a  loss  to 
comprehend  the  exact  process  of  their  own  conversion 
are,  that  they  do  not  preserve  clear  perceptions  of  their 
own  exercises  at  the  time;  or  that  they  become  con- 
fused on  the  general  subject  by  imbibing  the  errors  of 
selfish  or  ignorant  teachers,  and  they  become  afraid  to 
scrutinize  too  closely,  lest  their  own  actual  experience 
(supposed  to  be  defective,)  should  conflict  with  these 
errors,  supposed  to  be  sound.     I  have  known  even  min- 


PERSEVERANCE.  377 

isters  of  the  gospel  feel  sad  at  contemplating  their  own 
holy  exercises  in  conversion,  not  because  they  did  not 
love  them,  but  because  they  conflicted  with  the  errone- 
ous views  they  had  adopted  on  the  same  subject ;  and  in 
a  perverted  conscientiousness,  they  wrongly  condemned 
themselves  while  presenting  such  opposing  views. 

/.  I  have  always  thought  that  mere  authority,  and 
especially  the  authority  of  dead  men  who  have  already 
rectified  their  own  errors  in  the  eternal  state,  has  had 
too  decided  an  influence  on  living  intellect. 

P.  In  religion,  as  in  every  other  branch  of  knowl- 
edge, it  is  both  our  privilege  and  duty  to  "prove  all 
things,  and  hold  fast  that  which  is  good." — 1  Thess.  5 : 
21.  It  has  been  my  endeavor  to  do  so  m  the  fear  of 
God,  even  to  "holding  fast  the  form  of  sound  words" 
which  are  given  in  the  sacred  pages  (2  Tim.  1 :  13);  for 
you  will  have  noticed  that  I  have  always  preferred  the 
phraseology  of  Scripture  when  it  could  be  adopted,  as 
well  as  the  ideas  it  presents,  to  that  of  any  of  the  schools. 

/.  Will  you  explain  the  difference  between  legal  reli- 
gion, the  religion  of  the  gospel,  and  natural  religion? 

P.  True  religion,  viewed  in  whatever  aspect,  has  for 
its  essential  element  the  submission  of  the  will  to  the 
creative  authority  of  God;  and  from  this,  as  we  have 
before  seen,  spring  all  the  affections  of  the  renewed 
heart  and  all  the  excellencies  of  the  Christian  deport- 
ment. The  things  purposed  to  be  observed  are  the 
commands  of  God  as  variously  made  known  in  the  pre- 
cepts of  the  divine  law,  in  the  writings  of  the  prophets 
and  inspired  men  of  the  Scriptures,  in  the  manifestations 
of  his  wiU  contained  in  the  works  of  creation,  in  his 
providences,  in  the  dictates  of  our  consciences  when 
32* 


878  CONVERSION. 

enlightened  in  respect  to  our  relations  to  him  and  to 
one  another,  and  the  like.  The  original  motive  for  such 
purpose  is  the  sense  of  duty  arising  from  a  knowledge 
of  God  as  our  Creator,  which  is  subsequently  combined 
with  the  influence  of  love.  The  end  is  always  the  pro- 
motion of  the  divine  glory.  Thus  in  the  Old  Testament 
we  are  told  to  "fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments; 
for  this  is  the  whole  duty  of  man." — Eccl.  12  :  13.  And 
in  the  New,  "In  every  nation  he  that  feareth  God, 
and  worketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  with  him." — 
Acts  10 :  35. 

/.  Certainly,  if  right  motives  and  purposes  are  ex- 
cluded, I  cannot  conceive  how  there  can  be  any  thing 
left  besides  a  dead  form  divested  of  every  thing  lovely 
or  valuable.  My  former  ideas  of  religion  made  a  hope 
in  Christ  the  essential  element;  but  I  have  learned  by 
a  sad  experience  that  holy  principle  is  the  chief  element, 
and  that  a  valid  hope  can  exist  only  when  authorized 
by  it. 

P.  Legal  religion,  or  legalism  as  it  is  usually  called, 
is  that  which  is  confined  to  the  law  in  respect  to  its 
purposes  and  motives.  The  law  consists  of  two  parts 
— namely,  the  precepts  or  things  to  be  observed,  and 
the  penalty  or  the  pains  to  be  inflicted  for  their  non- 
observance.  Legality  consists,  first  of  a  purposed  ob- 
servance of  the  precept  of  the  divine  law  and  of  the 
commands  of  God  as  otherwise  discoverable ;  and 
second,  in  the  formation  and  execution  of  such  purpose, 
from  the  motive  of  the  penalty  of  the  law; — that  is, 
from  a  fear  of  its  pains  exciting  the  selfish  desires  to 
employ  such  means  in  order  to  escape  them,  or,  which 
is  the  same  thing,  from  a  hope  of  safety  therefrom. 


PERSEVERANCE.  379 

Althougli  there  is  an  ostensibly  good  purpose,  yet  legal- 
ity knows  of  no  radical  reformation,  but  is  a  mere 
modification  or  extension  of  the  selfishness  of  the  natural 
heart.  A  confirmed  robber  plunders  you  of  your  watch ; 
and  in  doing  so  evinces  the  superior  power  of  his  de- 
sire for  his  personal  interests  over  the  dictates  of  upright 
principles.  He  comes  to  fear  detection  and  punishment, 
and  purposes  to  refrain  from  robbery  in  future  and  to 
live  orderly  in  society ;  and  in  doing  so,  he  evinces  as 
clearly  as  before  the  superior  power  of  the  desire  for 
his  own  interests,  only  it  operates  in  a  different  and 
less  injurious  form.  Again  he  is  tempted  to  plunder 
your  property;  he  becomes  persuaded  that  he  will  not 
be  detected  or  punished  if  he  should  do  it;  and  this 
check  being  removed  he  perpetrates  the  act,  showing 
the  same  superior  influence  of  the  selfish  principle,  and 
that  his  good  conduct  did  not  proceed  from  any  reform- 
ation in  his  principles,  that  is,  in  the  motives  of  his 
purposes.  And  such  is  the  religion  of  the  law,  under 
whatever  disguise.  It  is  the  operation  exclusively  of 
the  natural  heart  under  the  selfish  principle. 

/.  I  see  that  regeneration  forms  no  part  of  it,  notwith- 
standing its  hopes  and  pleasures. 

P,  This  form  of  religion  prevailed  among  the  Phar- 
isees. It  is  not  a  free  service ;  for  the  legalist  renders 
it  under  the  constraint  of  fear,  as  the  least  of  two  evils 
— namely,  to  serve  God,  which  he  dislikes,  or  to  be 
damned,  which  he  dislikes  more.  When  this  constraint 
is  temporarily  removed,  he  will  as  naturally  revert  to 
his  own  ways,  as  will  the  dog  to  his  vomit. — 2  Pet.  2 : 
22.  Again,  it  is  pure  self-righteousness ;  for  the  legalist 
purposes  right  actions  indeed,  but  his  motive  in  observ- 


380  CONVERSION. 

ing  them  is  self,  or  his  own  interests.  Again,  it  is 
purely  mercenary;  for  the  legalist  discharges  an  ac- 
knowledged duty  for  pay;  he  observes  an  obligation 
because  it  will  be  for  his  interest  rather  than  from  prin- 
ciple. In  his  view,  '•^gain  [of  selfish  happiness]  is  godli- 
ness."— 1  Tim.  6 : 5.  He  attempts  a  compromise  with 
God,  as  if  wrong  existed  on  both  sides,  and  barters 
present  duty  for  future  impunity  from  evil. 

I.  You  have  described  the  very  religion  which  I 
formerly  had,  and  upon  which  I  sometimes  prided 
myself  as  being  so  exclusively  that  of  the  gospel,  because 
it  rested  entirely  on  a  hope  in  Christ  for  salvation! 
My  hope  of  pardon  from  the  penalty  of  the  law  was 
the  motive  to  all  my  obedience,  and  the  source  of  all 
my  joys. 

P.  Instead  of  having  the  religion  of  the  gospel,  you 
was  a  legalist  of  the  first  order; — and  needed  only  a 
stubborn  resistance  to  every  truthful  principle  and 
argument,  to  make  you  a  Pharisee.  The  legalist  rests, 
at  hearty  on  his  own  works  for  salvation,  however  loud 
may  be  his  profession  of  trusting  in  the  merits  of  Christ. 

I.  True.  I  used  to  graduate  my  hopes  by  my  sup- 
posed merits;  I  endeavored  to  think  that  I  was  be- 
coming better  as  I  advanced,  and  I  felt  more  confident 
accordingly.  As  the  ancient  Pharisees  professed  to 
depend  upon  the  Father,  so  I  depended  for  aid  upon 
the  Son  in  those  respects  where  I  had  failed  in  my 
observances.  When  you  referred  some  time  since  to 
the  subject  of  our  dependence  on  Christ,  I  felt  con- 
vinced that,  like  Bunyan's  man,  I  had  hoped  to  be 
justified  through  Christ's  acceptance  of  my  obedience  to 
the  laws;  or,  that  Christ  should  make  my  religious  duties 


PERSEVERANCE.  ^^fdlSy 


acceptable  to  the  Father  through  his  merits; — thus 
taking  justification  from  the  righteousness  of  Christ  and 
applying  it  to  my  own,  and  making  myself  accepted 
through  the  goodness  of  my  own  obedience  instead  of 
through  the  Beloved  alone.  Truly,  "the  law  worketh 
wrath." — Eom.  4: 16.  I  fear  that  there  are  many  legal- 
ists in  Christ's  church,  who  ignorantly  apply  that  desig- 
nation to  almost  "every  body  except  themselves. 

P.  The  apostle  in  speaking  of  the  legalists  among  the 
Jews,  gives  such  a  clear  delineation  of  their  character 
that  none  need  mistake.  "For  I  bear  them  record  that 
they  have  a  zeal  of  God,  but  not  according  to  knowl- 
edge. For  they  being  ignorant  of  God^s  righteousness, 
[of  that  right  conduct  which  proceeds  from  a  supreme 
regard  to  the  rights  of  God,  and  of  that  holy  state  of 
the  affections  which  flows  from  a  true  love  to  his  glory,] 
and  going  about  to  establish  their  oiun  righteousness, 
[to  observe  a  correct  deportment,  under  the  motive  in- 
fluence of  the  love  of  their  own  happiness  or  the  fear 
of  their  own  punishment  and  cultivating  the  selfish 
affections  which  flow  therefrom,]  have  not  submitted 
themselves  unto  the  righteousness  of  God  [unto  the 
rightful  authority  of  God,  and  that  obedience  which 
flows  from  that  motive].  For  Christ  [as  God,  that  is 
his  authority  and  glory]  is  the  end  of  the  law  [is  the 
ultimate  object  designed  to  be  accomplished  by  the  law], 
for  righteousness  [to  produce  true  righteousness]  to 
every  one  that  believeth"  [that  receives  Christ  as  God, 
and  cordially  yields  himself  to  obey  and  love  him  as 
such,] — just  as  he  is  the  end  of  the  gospel  for  redemp- 
tion, as  the  Saviour  of  every  believer. — Kom.  10 : 2 — L 

I.  What  is  the  religion  of  the  Gospel? 


882  CONVERSION. 

p.  The  term  Gospel  \evangellion'\  means  glad-tidings, 
or  good  and  joyful  news.  These  did  not  consist  in  the 
development  of  new  principles  in  relation  to  moral  char- 
acter; for  a  holy  character  is  always  essentially  the  same, 
and  had  always  been  required. — Lev.  11 :  44.  Nor  did 
they  consist  in  the  revelation  of  new  ultimate  objects 
for  our  love  and  pursuit;  for  God  and  his  glory  had 
always  been  presented  as  the  great  end  of  man,  as  we 
have  abundantly  seen.  Nor  in  opening  new  paths  to 
heaven  unknown  to  holy  men  of  old ;  for  Abel,  Enoch, 
Noah,  Moses,  and  all  the  redeemed  of  old,  though  with 
less  clear  light  than  now  exists,  entered  in  under  the 
same  principles  as  do  saints  under  the  new  dispensation. 
The  gospel  was  preached  to  the  Israelites  in  the  desert. 
— Heb.  4:2.  Christ,  as  we  have  seen,  was  the  Jehovah 
who  appeared  to  Abraham,  who  led  the  Israelites  in 
their  wanderings,  and  who  spoke  to  man  through  the 
prophets.  A  new  heart  had  always  been  required,  as 
now. — Ez.  18  :  81,  and  John  3  :  7.  Repentance  and 
faith  were  formerly  as  essential  to  the  divine  favor 
as  now.— Ez.  18  :  30,  and  Matt.  23  :  23.  And  the 
atonement  was  both  prefigured  in  the  sacrifices  of  the 
temple,  and  foretold  in  the  most  explicit  language. 
—Is.  53. 

I.  Of  course,  then,  Christ  did  not  come  to  destroy  the 
law  as  it  was  originally  given,  or  to  effect  any  radical 
change  in  true  religion;  but  to  correct  our  views  of 
them,  and  to  have  the  law  disseminated  and  its  true 
object^'  more  successfully  accomplished  than  the  per- 
versions of  the  Pharisees  would  allow?' — Matt.  5  :  17. 

P.  Yes.  In  the  gospel  life  and  immortality  are  more 
clearly  exhibited,   and  the  way  of  deliverance  is  per- 


PERSEVERANCE.  883 

fected,  through  Christ. — 2  Tim.  1 :  10.  The  apostle  thus 
explains  the  reasons  of  his  advent:  "For  what  the  law 
could  not  do  [in  the  promotion  of  the  glory  of  God, 
not  because  it  was  unadapted  to  effect  it,  but]  in  that 
it  was  weak  [made  incompetent]  through  the  flesh 
[through  the  selfishness  of  its  professed  observers,]  God, 
sending  his  own  Son  [to  obey  it]  in  the  likeness  of  sinful 
flesh,  and  for  sin  [by  a  sacrifice  for  sin],  condemned 
sin  in  the  flesh  [by  reproving  men's  selfishness  of  heart 
and  depravity  of  conduct,  and  by  exhibiting  and  exalt- 
ing the  holiness  of  the  law  in  his  own  obedience  and 
sufferings]:  That  the  righteousness  of  the  law  [that 
which  it  was  designed  to  accomplish]  might  be  fulfilled 
in  us  [true  believers],  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh  [who 
are  not  impelled  by  selfish  desires  to  the  pursuit  of 
personal  ends],  but  after  the  Spirit  [under  his  holy 
impulses,  to  the  promotion  of  the  divine  glory]. — 
Rom.  8 : 3—5.  Christ  designed,  in  the  gospel,  to  pro- 
duce such  a  kind  of  obedience  to  the  law,  as  would 
exalt  God  to  the  chief  place  in  the  hearts  of  his  people, 
and  by  his  instructions  to  render  clear  the  way  of  sal- 
vation, and  by  his  atonement  to  make  that  salvation 
possible  to  man. 

/.  Such,  evidently,  is  the  purpose  here  indicated  by 
the  apostle. 

P.  And  such  is  precisely  the  religion  of  the  gospel  in 
one  of  its  chief  elements.  Laying  aside  the  penalty  of 
the  law  as  it  were,  and  looking  behind  its  commands,  it 
rests  upon  the  authority  of  the  lawgiver  himself  as  its 
motive.  Love  to  Christ  is  the  heart-impulse  of  its  obe- 
dience. Under  this  indomptable  principle,  it  honors 
Christ  and  overcomes  every  obstacle  to  duty. 


384  CONVEESION. 

/.  Do  the  Scriptures  give  us  any  account  of  a  conyer- 
sion  from  legalism  to  the  religion  of  the  gospel? 

P.  It  does  in  several  instances.  Saul  of  Tarsus  was 
a  selfish,  mercenary  and  compromising  legalist.  He 
believed  that  as  a  descendant  of  Abraham  he  was  born 
at  friends  with  God,  and  consequently  needed  no  new 
desires  or  new  heart.  He  had  doubtless  seen  Christ  in 
Jerusalem  (Acts  22:3);  had  heard  him  declare  that  the 
Abrahamic  covenant  did  not  authorize  such  a  belief; 
that  it  referred  to  his  spiritual  seed  only,  or  to  such  as 
had  been  regenerated  (John  8 :  39,  40) ;  that  he  was 
the  Son  of  God,  equal  with  the  Father,  and  that  conse- 
quently his  construction  must  prevail.  And  he  had 
heard  him  denounce  the  religion  and  hopes  of  his 
brethren  as  false,  and  even  Satanic  (John  8 :  44),  and 
command  them  to  repent  on  pain  of  eternal  death.  This 
had  aroused  his  wrath  against  him,  and  made  him  etiger 
to  persecute  his  disciples.  While  on  his  way  to  Damas- 
cus he  again  beheld  Christ,  but  now  in  his  heavenly 
kingdom.  This  convinced  him  that  he  was  God;  that 
he  was  therefore  authorized  to  denounce  that  construc- 
tion of  the  covenant  on  which  all  his  hopes  were  based ; 
that  his  own  hopes  were  selfish  and  invalid;  and  that 
he  was  then  an  impenitent  sinner  bound  to  perdition, 
and  actually  engaged  in  the  work  of  persecuting  his 
Creator!  He  looked  upon  Christ  as  his  enemy,  as 
well  he  might;  in  utter  despair  of  escaping  (for  Christ 
had  denounced  him  as  self-ruined)  he  died  to  himself 
(Rom.  7  :  9),  that  is,  he  ceased  to  be  under  the  power  of 
self-interest ;  and  then  yielded  his  will  unreservedly  to 
the  authority  of  Oist,  as  God.  "Lord  [owner,  propri- 
etor, master,]  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?" — implying 


PERSEVERANCE.  885 

a  purpose  to  obey.  And  upon  being  commanded  to 
proceed  to  Damascus,  he  obeyed  accordingly.  There  he 
remained  several  days  repenting,  as  was  meet  he  should, 
in  dust  and  ashes  over  his  selfish  depravity,  and  horrible 
wickedness  as  a  persecutor;  and  so  profound  was  his 
self-condemnation,  and  so  deep  his  self-abhorrence,  that 
hope  entered  not  into  his  heart  nor  did  he  either  eat  or 
drink  for  three  days. — Acts  9 : 1 — 20. 

/.  How  incongruous  it  would  have  been  for  such  a 
butcher  to  have  immediately  leaped  up  (according  to 
modern  usage),  rejoicing  in  a  hope  of  pardon  and 
heaven  I — evincing,  that  his  heart  was  still  fixed  chiefly 
on  his  own  happiness.  But  had  the  Holy  Spirit  then 
regenerated  his  heart,  and  was  he  in  a  converted  state 
previous  to  indulging  a  hope  of  pardon? 

P.  Certainly.  He  remained  in  the  same  dejected  state 
until  Ananias  instructed  him  in  the  duties  and  hopes 
of  the  gospel.  Previous  to  which,  God  had  declared 
that  he  prayed,  which  is  never  said  in  a  favorable  sense 
of  any  except  believers,  and  that  he  was  a  chosen  vessel 
to  promote  his  glory;  and  Ananias  accordingly  saluted 
him  as  a  Christian  brother.  After  he  was  instructed 
in  the  gospel,  he  hoped  in  Christ;  "and  straitway  he 
preached  Christ  in  the  synagogues  [not  to  urge  the  sin- 
ners there  to  hope  in  his  mercy  rather  than  in  the 
Father ;  in  the  first  instance,  but]  that  he  is  the  Son  of 
God,"  entitled  to  the  same  obedience  from  them  which 
he  himself  was  rendering. 

1.  I  am  much  obliged  for  this  delineation. 

P.  As  supreme  love  to  Christ  is  the  motive  principle 
of  the  religion  of  the  gospel,  it  will  find  a  moving  power 
in  him  and  his  glor;^  to  make  it  permanent  through 
33 


\ 


386  COXVERSION. 

everlasting  ages.  Plighting  its  faith  and  duty  under 
the  impulse  of  such  a  pure  affection,  it  cannot  but  be 
appro vable  and  acceptable  to  one  whose  distinguishing- 
trait  is  love. — 1  John  4: 16.  Although  it  contemplates 
the  strictest  obedience  or  righteousness,  it  is  not  sdj- 
righteous,  but  C'^oo^-righteous ;  for  its  right  conduct  does 
not  spring  from  a  love  of  self,  but  from  a  love  God, 
and  it  has  in  view  ultimately,  not  the  ends  of  self,  but 
the  glory  of  God.  It  is  a  free  and  voluntary  service; 
one  rendered  of  free  choice,  with  fear  indeed,  as  well 
it  may  be  in  view  of  the  awful  majesty  of  God,  but  not 
with  the  fear  of  the  slave,  but  with  that  of  the  affection- 
ate and  reverential  child,  which  deters  his  love  from 
running  into  familiarity  and  presumption.  It  i.s  not 
mercenary ;  for  its  service  is  rendered  from  principle, 
and  the  pleasure  it  takes  in  God  is  a  resulting  virtuous 
pleasure,  a  fitting  reward  at  the  hand  of  God  to  encour- 
age the  believer  onward  in  holiness;  but  which,  if  it 
were  removed,  would  not  impair  his  holy  purposes,  how- 
ever it  might  affect  his  strength  under  the  manifold 
temptations  of  the  world.  It  is  the  acquisition  of  that 
holy  character,  in  kind,  which  God  demands  of  all  his 
creatures.  It  is  a  disallowance  of  every  thing  as  good 
previous  to  its  first  love,  and  of  course  of  every  thing 
like  merit  in  the  previous  life.  It  is  a  disallowance  of 
future  merit  also,  because  it  is  rendered  from  affection, 
and  in  pursuance  of  an  acknowledged  duty  only.  In 
fine,  the  religion  of  the  gospel  is  "faith  which  worketh 
by  love."— Gal.  5 :  6. 

L  What  a  perfect  contrast  it  presents  to  legalism ! 

P,  But  there  is  another  element  in  the  religion  of  the 
gospel.     Christ  is  not  only  elevated  thus  as  a  Prince 


PERSEVERANCE.  887 

to  rule  and  to  be  loved  by  his  creatures,  but  he  is  also 
presented  as  their  Saviour.  "Him  hath  God  exalted 
with  his  right  hand,  to  be  a  Prince,  and  a  Saviour." — 
Acts  5:81.  "Of  this  man's  seed  hath  God,  according  to 
his  promise,  raised  unto  Israel  a  Saviour,  Jesus." — Acts 
13 :  23.  The  necessity  of  an  atonement,  together  with  the 
objects  to  be  accomplished  by  it,  have  been  heretofore 
explained.  Humble  submission  to  the  will  of  Christ, 
an  active  devotion  to  his  glory  by  means  of  the  observ- 
ance of.  his  commands  as  made  known  in  his  law  and  in 
his  personal  teachings,  and  an  implicit  trust  and  hope  in 
his  pardoning  grace  through  the  atonement  alone,  con- 
stitutes the  whole  of  the  religion  of  the  gospel;  and 
when  it  is  observed  perfectly,  as  it  will  be  in  heaven,  it 
will  constitute  the  very  perfection  of  character. 

/.  Beyond  all  doubt.  But  I  have  supposed  from  the 
encouragements  to  hope  for  pardon  in  Christ,  that  that 
was  the  great,  and  indeed  only  essential  of  the  gospeh 

P.  Many  sinners,  as  well  as  many  Christians,  imbibe 
the  same  error.  The  Scriptures,  in  the  first  place,  when 
speaking  of  Christ  as  a  Saviour,  always  refer  to  him  as 
a  saviour  from  sin  as  well  as  punishment,  and  only  from 
punishment  as  one  is  delivered  from  sin.  Consequently, 
as  a  hope  in  Christ  for  deliverance  from  punishment 
merely  is  no  where  authorized  in  the  Scriptures,  it  can- 
not be  such  an  essential  as  you  have  supposed. — Matt. 
1 :  21.  No  one  can  validly  hope  in  Christ  for  deliv- 
erance from  sin  as  well  as  from  perdition,  until  after 
he  has  heartily  renounced  his  sins,  that  is,  has  been 
converted;  consequently  no  impenitent  sinner  can  justly 
hope  in  him  in  the  first  instance.  Again,  the  hope  of 
the  Scriptures  further  contemplates   the   permission  to 


388  CONVERSION. 

enjoy  the  glory  of  God  (Rom.  5 :  2),  which  no  sinner 
can  truly  indulge  until,  hj  regeneration,  he  has  come  to 
desire  and  love  that  glory ;  and  if  even  that  hope  was 
made  a  condition  to  be  fulfilled  before  regeneration,  it 
would  be  an  impossible  one. 

I.  Why  then  is  it  urged  upon  us? 

P.  Hope  of  mere  deliverance  from  punishment  is 
never  urged  upon  impenitent  sinners,  but  the  very  re- 
verse; for  God  has  said,  "v.-'oe  unto  the  wicked!  it  shall 
be  ill  with  him"  (Is.  3  :  11);  and  it  would  also  be  derog- 
atory to  his  character  to  urge  it  upon  his  wicked  ene- 
mies. But  it  is  pressed  upon  the  penitent,  humble, 
faithful  child  of  God  as  an  indication  of  his  Father's 
gracious  love,  and  an  encouragement  to  honor  Grod  by 
a  perseverance  in  his  spiritual  warfare.  Thus  you  will 
observe  that  whenever  hope  is  enjoined  in  the  epistles, 
or  where  encouragement  is  given  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord, 
believers,  and  not  impenitent  sinners,  are  invariably 
addressed.  And  when  Paul  speaks  of  the  manner  of 
his  public  preaching,  he  assumes  the  position  before 
described:  "For  I  determined  not  to  know  [and  of 
course  not  to  proclaim]  any  thing  among  you,  save 
[first]  Jesus  [the  saviour  from  sin']  Christ  [the  anointed, 
or  set  apart  as  King],  and  [second]  him  crucified  [him, 
as  an  atoning  sacrifice  for  such  believers]. — 1  Cor.  2  :  2. 
As  we  have  before  seen,  when  the  Scriptures  present  a 
principle  of  action,  they  often-  make  its  fulfillment  the 
foundation  for  the  presentation  of  another;  as,  in  the 
present  instance,  the  submission  of  the  sinner  to  Jesus 
Christ  as  King,  and  his  thereby  renouncing  sin,  is  pre- 
supposed as  the  ground  of  the  offer  of  him  as  a  cru- 
cified Saviour. 


PERSEVERANCE.  889 

L  Yes.  As  with  Christ  came  first  the  crown  and 
next  the  cross,  so  it  is  proper  that  in  the  order  of  grace 
he  should  be  practically  recognized  as  the  lawful  wearer 
of  the  crown,  before  he  is  confided  in  for  the  blessings 
flowing  from  his  cross.  Still,  I  am  not  quite  clear  as  to 
the  meaning  of  the  apostle  in  his  directions  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost. 

P.  The  attention  of  the  people  was  attracted  by  unu- 
sual indications  from  heaven,  the  appearance  of  cloven 
tongues  as  of  fire,  and  the  astonishing  fact  that  the 
apostles  were  enabled  to  speak  intelligibly  in  twelve  or 
more  languages.  Taking  advantage  of  their  curiosity, 
Peter  delivered  a  most  admirable  argument,  proving 
from  those  Scriptures  which  they  all  received  as  the 
revelation  of  God,  that  "God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus, 
whom  ye  have  crucified,  both  Lord  [Ruler  by  right 
of  ownership]  and  Christ,"  the  Messiah  or  set-apart, 
whom  they  had  for  so  long  a  time  expected. — Acts  2 : 1 
— 40.  The  moment  they  came  to  believe  in  his  God- 
ship,  they  felt  self-condemned  for  causing  or  consent- 
ing to  his  death  in  the  body;  they  realized  that  they 
were  his  adversaries,  the  enemies  of  God;  their  former 
confidence  fled,  and  they  gave  themselves  up  for  lost. 
Under  such  compunctions  and  despondency,  and  like 
all  other  unregenerate  persons  ignorant  what  to  do, 
since  all  they  had  before  rehed  upon  had  proved  una- 
vailing, they  inquired  of  the  apostles,  "Men  and  brethren, 
what  shall  we  do?" — an  inquiry  which  has  been  re- 
peated by  every  convicted  sinner  since  their  day.  The 
first  direction  given  was  "Repent,"  abandon  all  your 
former  selfish  purposes  and  wicked  courses  in  obedience 
to  the  rightful  authority  of  this  Jesus,  the  Lord  and 
33^ 


890  CONVERSION. 

King.  This,  if  observed,  would  turn  them  from  sin  to 
holiness,  from  themselves  to  Christ,  as  we  have  hereto- 
fore abundantly  seen.  Being  thus  converted,  the  sup- 
posed fulfillment  of  the  command  is  made  the  basis  of 
a  further  direction,  "and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins;" 
by  means  of  this  ordinance,  make  known  to  the  pub- 
lic that  you  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  the  living  God  (John  6 :  69),  and  that  you  purpose 
to  obey  him  as  such  and  to  devote  yourself  to  his  glory ; 
— then  your  sins  shall  be  remitted. — Kom.  10 :  9.  Other 
counsels  he  gave;  but  this  is  sufficient  to  explain  the 
point  which  you  had  in  view. 

/.  Will  you  explain  the  case  of  the  jailer  at  Philippi? 

P,  Paul  and  Silas  had  been  preaching  Christ  for 
many  days  at  Philippi,  when  they  were  arrested  and 
thrust  into  prison. — Acts  16 :  12 — 34.  The  earthquake, 
the  miraculous  opening  of  the  prison  doors  and  the 
unloosing  of.  the  bands  of  the  prisoners,  together  with 
their  refusal  to  fly,  deeply  affected  the  jailer.  He  had, 
no  doubt,  become  acquainted  with  their  doctrine  and 
was  in  a  position  to  become  convinced  of  the  presence 
of  God  with  them,  of  his  own  want  of  the  true  religion, 
and  of  his  being  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  This  is 
evident  from  the  perplexity,  as  well  as  anxiety,  evinced 
in  his  inquiry,  "Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  b-^  saved?" 
If  he  was  not  before  converted  (as  some  sup^>ose)  he 
could  mean  only  how  to  secure  his  personal  or  selfish 
safety  and  peace.  Their  reply  was,  first,  "Believe  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  receive  and  obey  him  as  God, 
and  devote  yourself  to  promote  his  glory  ultimately; 
for  "they  spake  unto  him  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and 


rEK<i:  VKiiANCE.  391 

to  all  that  were  in  his  house."  This,  you  will  observe, 
is  true  conversion  or  the  new  heart.  Upon  doing 
which,  they  declared  to  him,  secondly,  "and  thou  shalt 
be  saved,  and  [they  doing  the  same  thing]  thy  house." 
The  apostles  intended  "the  salvation  of  God"  or  such  as 
he  would  only  then  desii'e, — the  salvation  not  of  self- 
ishness, but  of  enjoying  God  and  his  glory.  To  have 
proposed  any  other  would  have  been  wicked  not  only, 
but  it  would  have  been  rejected  by  him;  for  we  are 
afterwards  told  that  he  and  they  were  truly  converted, 
"believing  in  God  [in  Christ  as  God]  with  all  his 
house."  In  his  extremity  under  that  terrible  condemna- 
tion, like  other  convicted  sinners  he  abandoned  himself 
by  the  very  act  of  yielding  to  Christ  as  God  to  sub- 
serve his  authority  and  glory  the  rather;  and  then  he 
could  understand,  appreciate,  enter  into,  and  appropriate 
the  holy  "salvation  of  God." 

/.  Will  you  please  explain  what  is  meant  by  natural 
religion? 

P.  The  religion  of  nature  in  its  purity,  intends  first 
the  observance  of  the  will  of  God  so  far  as  it  can  be 
deduced  by  reason  from  his  works,  our  relations,  and 
the  operations  of  the  natural  conscience;  and  second, 
doing  it  from  the  motive  of  the  creative  rights,  and  to 
the  end  of  the  glory  of  God,  so  far  as  his  existence, 
character  and  glory  are  discoverable  from  the  material 
and  moral  worlds  which  he  has  produced.  So  far  as 
it  goes,  it  is  similar  in  principle  to  the  religion  of 
revelation;  for  that  consists  in  obedience  to  God  from 
the  same  motive,  and  to  the  same  end.  The  apostle 
(Rom.  1 :  19 — 21)  declares  that  God  has  shown  to  the 
Gentiles  that  which  should  be  known  concerning  him- 


392  CONVERSION. 

self;  that  his  existence,  eternal  power,  and  Godhead  or 
right  to  rnle  over  them,  though  invisible  to  their  senses, 
were  to  be  inferred  from  the  things  he  had  made;  so 
that  they  were  without  excuse  for  not  glorifying  him 
as  God.  And  he  speaks  of  some  (Eom.  2 :  14,  15)  who, 
from  the  observation  of  the  works  of  nature  and  the 
dictates  of  their  own  consciences,  might '  learn  and  do 
the  things  commanded  in  the  revealed  law  of  God; 
these,  not  having  revelation,  have  notwithstanding  a 
law  unto  themselves. 

/.  I  always  supposed  that  natural  religion  was  some- 
thing very  objectionable. 

P.  So  far  from  it,  the  apostle  places  the  condemnation 
of  the  Gentiles  solely  on  the  ground  that,  having  these 
opportunities  of  knowledge,  they  rejected  them,  and 
"worshipped  and  served  the  creature  [with  his  selfish 
lusts  and  pleasures]  rather  than  the  Creator,  who  is 
blessed  for  ever." — Kom.  1 :  25.  Had  they  used  their 
light,  renouncing  the  creature,  and  worshipping  and 
serving  the  Creator,  they  would  not  have  been  rejected. 
Their  service  would  have  been  correct  as  to  its  govern- 
ing principle,  though  imperfect  in  the  details  of  conduct; 
but  this  would  not  have  produced  their  rejection,  for 
it  is  a  rule  in  the  divine  government,  that  "if  there  be 
first  a  willing  mind,  it  is  accepted  according  to  that  a 
man  hath,  and  not  according  to  that  a  man  hath  not." — 
2  Cor.  8 :  12.  And  it  is  a  just  one,  as  is  that  other, 
applicable  no  doubt  to  the  Gentile  world  according  to 
the  degree  of  their  willfulness,  "But  he  that  knew  not 
his  lord's  will,  and  did  commit  things  worthy  of  stripes, 
shall  be  beaten  with  few  stripes." — Luke  12 :  48. 


PERSEVERANCE.  393 

/.  Do  yoTi  suppase  the  heathen,  if  thus  converted  to 
God,  could  be  saved  without  the  gospel  ? 

P.  I  will  answer  in  the  language  .of  Doddridge  and 
Newton.     The  truth,  says  Dr.  Doddridge,  seems  to  be 
this,  that  none  of  the  heathens  will  be  condemned  for  not 
believing  the  gospel,  but  they  are  liable  to  condemna- 
tion for  the  breach  of  God's  natural  law.     Nevertheless, 
if  there  be  any  of  them  in  whom  there  is  a  prevailing 
love  to  the  Divine  Being,  there  seems  reason  to  believe 
that,  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  though  to  them  unknown, 
they  may  be   accepted   by  God.      And   so  much  the  * 
rather,  as  the  ancient  Jews  and  even  the  apostles  during 
the  time  of  our  Saviour's  abode  on  earth,  seem  to  have 
had  but  little  notion  of  those  doctrines  which  those  who 
deny  the  salvability  of  the  heathen  are  most  apt  to  ima- 
gine.   Mr.  Newton  asks,  Who  will  prove  that  such  views 
and  desires  can  arise  in  the  heart  of  a  sinner,  without 
the  energy  of  that  Spirit  which  Jesus  is  exalted  to  be- 
stow?    Who  shall  take  upon  him  to  say,  that  his  blood 
has  not  sufficient   efficacy  to  redeem  to  God  a  sinner 
who  is  thus  disposed,  though  he  has  never  heard  of  his 
name  ? 

/.  This  view  relieves  my  mind  from  an  irrepressible 
sense  of  the  injustice  of  the  heathen  being  punished 
for  not  hoping  in  a  Saviour  who  had  never  been  made 
known  to  them.  I  see  now  that  my  false  notioii  that 
a  hope  in  the  pardoning  mercy  of  Christ  was  the  chief 
thing  in  religion,  and  that  it  was  the  very  faith  unto 
salvation  required  of  us,  gave  me  incorrect  views  upon 
that  point;  but  regarding  belief  in  God,  submission  to 
his  will,  and  devotion  to  his  glory  as  the  chief  in  his 
view,  the  matter  is  sufficiently  plain  and*  just.     But  do" 


394  CONVERSION. 

you  suppose  that  the  heathen  do  ever  make  such  a 
proper  use  of  the  light  of  nature? 

P.  It  is  very  doubtful  indeed.  I  have  studied  the 
religious  characters  of  some  of  the  most  enlightened, 
with  a  view  to  form  an  opinion  on  this  point.  Their 
codes  of  morals  are  in  many  respects  proper,  they  evi- 
dently having  had  the  advantage  of  reports  at  least  from 
some  of  the  Jewish  sacred  books;  and  some  seem  to 
have  cultivated  their  consciences  in  respect  to  their 
relations  to,  and  the  rights~  of  their  fellow-creatures. 
Whether  conscience,  under  a  view  of  these  rights  of  their 
fellow-beings,  controlled  them  in  their  conduct  we  know 
not  precisely;  but  I  could  never  discover  the  least  evi- 
dence that  any  had  reached  the  point  of  true  self-denial, 
that  the  creative  right  of  God  exerted  a  controlling 
influence  over  their  purposes,  or  that  their  hearts  were 
devoted  to  his  honor  and  glory  as  the  chief  moral'  good. 
Much  appears  to  show  the  contrary,  and  that  they  ex- 
hibited the  spectacle  of  enlightened  judgments  and 
correct  conduct  on  many  of  the  abstract  rights  of  man, 
with  perfectly  selfish  hearts  toward  God. 

/.  A  system  of  morality,  which  is  often  mistaken  for 
piety  in  our  day.  How  do  you  reconcile  the  fact  of 
God's  pardoning  a  penitent  sinner,  with  his  veracity  in 
previously  declaring  that  he  should  be  punished  ? 

P.  Very  easily.  In  the  first  place,  the  denunciations 
of  his  displeasure  are  directed  to  the  wicked  as- such, 
while  his  offers  of  mercy  are  to  the  righteous  as  such; 
and  upon  a  change  of  character  that  consequence,  in 
either  case,  becomes  inappropriate  and  ceases.  Thus  it 
is  said,  "When  the  wicked  man  turneth  away  from  his 
wickedness,  and  doeth  that  which  is  lawful  and  right, 


PERSEVERANCE.  395 

he  shall  save  his  soul  alive."  "  When  a  righteous  man 
turneth  away  from  his  righteousness,  and  committeth 
iniquity,  and  dieth  in  them;  for  his  iniquity  that  he 
hath  done,  shall  he  die."— Ez.  18 :  26,  27.  But  in  the 
next  place  you  will  observe  that  God  does  not  speak 
and  act  in  this  matter  merely  as  an  individual,  but  as  a 
magistrate  enacting  and  executing  laws  for  his  creatures; 
and  as  in  him  is  combined  the  legislative,  as  well  as  the 
judicial  and  executive  powers  of  the  divine  government, 
it  is  competent  to  him  to  regulate  the  execution  of  the 
laws,  or  to  substitute  such  other  legislative  provisions 
as  the  exigencies  of  that  government  may  require;  and 
in  this  view  no  question  of  personal  veracity  can  arise. 

/.  I  am  satisfied  on  that  point.  But  how  do  you 
reconcile  his  immutability,  with  his  change  of  feelings 
and  purpose  toward  the  penitent  sinner? 

P.  From  the  very  nature  of  things,  every  moral  being 
must  feel,  purpose,  and  act  according  to  the  existing 
facts  as  they  are  presented  to  his  observation.  Thus, 
suppose  we  should  see  a  man,  under  the  instigation 
of  revenge  upon  its  parents,  plunge  a  dagger  into  the 
heart  of  a  lovely  child,  and  should  hear  its  death- 
shriek  and  witness  its  death-agonies  as  it  expired  at  his 
feet.  Profound  indignation,  disgust,  and  abhorrence 
would  arise  spontaneously  in  our  bosoms  against  the 
felon;  and  we  should  seize  him  in  order  to  have  full 
justice  inflicted  upon  him.  None  but  a  brute  could  fail 
to  feel  and  act  thus.  Now,  if  we  knew  beforehand  that, 
by  visiting  the  wretch  in  prison  and  faithfully  present- 
ing divine  truth,  he  could  be  brought  to  true  repent- 
ance and  profound  self-abhorrence  for  his  act,  it  would 
make  no  difference  in  our  feelings  toward  him  at  the 


396  CONVERSION. 

present  time;  and  if  we  should  resolve  to  take  tliat 
course,  it  would  effect  no  change  in  our  present  purposes 
toward  the  guilty  wretch  in  his  hardened  state. 

I.  I  see  it  could  effect  no  present  change  in  either 
respect. 

P.  But,  behold  him  now  in  the  cell  of  the  condemned, 
awaiting  his  appointed  hour  of  death.  He  has  truly 
repented;  in  the  deepest  disgust  at  his  own  former 
character  and  conduct,  he  weeps  bitterly;  he  mourns 
over  the  irreparable  wrong  he  has  done  to  that  child, 
and  to  its  friends,  and  to  society,  and  to  God,  and  resigns 
himself  to  the  sentence  of  the  laws  of  man  and  God  as 
perfectly  just.  Now,  while  we  would  condemn  his  for^ 
mer  character  and  conduct  no  less  than  before,  this 
change  would  so  affect  the  existing  facts  that  we  would 
approve  his  present  penitence  and  character,  and  would 
purpose  good  toward  him,  provided  the  ends  of  justice 
could  be  perfectly  answered  in  some  other  manner  than 
by  his  execution.  These  feelings  and  purposes  would 
be  called  out  by  the  occurrence  of  this  new  state  of 
facts;  and  hence  they  would  not  evince  any  versatility 
in  our  moral  sentiments  or  characters. 

/.  They  certainly  would  not. 

P.  There  was  a  vast  period  during  which,  under  the 
then  existing  facts,  God  approved,  loved,  and  purposed 
to  bless  Satan  and  his  companions ;  for  they  were  then 
eminently  holy.  God  foreknew  what  would  eventually 
be  done  by  them,  but  their  perceived  apostacy  did  not 
affect  their  then  present  character  and  purposes,  nor 
his  feelings  toward  them ;  he  did  not  hate  them  before 
they  deserved  it.  After  their  unauthorized  rebellion 
against  his  government,  and  their  descent  into  pollution 


PERSEVERANCE.  397 

and  all  moral  deformity,  the  facts  changed  and  his  feel- 
ings and  purposes  necessarily  accorded  with  them. 

I.  It  must  have  been  so,  as  nearly  as  we  can  com- 
prehend God. 

P.  As  respects  the  immutability  of  God,  you  will 
observe  that  it  is  of  two  kinds — namely,  natural  and 
moral.  His  natural  immutability  consists  in  the  essen- 
tial unchangeableness  of  all  his  natural  faculties,  so  to 
speak,  such  as  his  existence,  power,  capacity  of  feeling, 
purposing,  and  the  like.  These  he  possesses  unalter- 
abl}'  from  his  very  nature.  But  his  moral  immutability 
relates  exclusively  to  the  perpetual  right  or  holy  use 
of  these  faculties.  It  consists  in  the  preservation  of  a 
consistency  of  moral  character  under  all  circumstances, 
by  the  exercise  of  holy  feelings  and  purposes  according 
to  the  existing  facts  in  each  particular  case;  in  other 
words,  it  consists  in  the  unchangeableness  of  his  pur- 
pose (with  the  corresponding  feelings)  to  do  every  thing 
demanded  by  his  own  glory  under  the  circumstances. 

/.  Certainly  his  moral  immutability  must  be  seen  in 
the  unwavering  purpose,  as  exhibited  in  his  various 
feelings  and  conduct,  to  promote  his  own  glory;  and 
should  he  fail  there,  mutability,  and  that  of  the  worst 
kind,  must  be  imputed  to  him. 

P.  One  may  seem  to  casual  observers  to  be  fickle- 
minded  and  changeable  in  the  extreme ;  and  yet  when 
he  is  correctly  understood,  the  very  reverse  may  be  seen 
to  be  the  fact.  Thus,  suppose  we  notice  one  seemingly 
intent  on  his  own  affairs,  go  raj^idly  some  distance  east 
ward;  soon  he  returns  as  rapidly  toward  the  west; 
again  he  goes  southward,  and  finally  at  a  great  distance 
we  see  him  turn  about,  and  pass  away  off  northward. 
34 


398  CONVERSION. 

We  might  very  fairly  infer  that  he  was  as  changeable  as 
the  winds  in  his  purposes,  and  that  versatility  was  his 
chief  characteristic.  But  on  inquiry  we  ascertain  that 
he  is  remarkably  firm  of  purpose ;  that  his  general  and 
chief  purpose  in  such  conduct  was  to  reach  a  certain 
point  to  the  northward ;  and  that  all  his  counter  move- 
ments were  caused  by  meeting  with  insuperable  obstacles 
in  each  path,  until  with  indomitable  perseverance  and 
by  changing  his  subordinate  plans  and  purposes,  he  had 
at  last  accomplished  his  grand  object.  Here,  we  would 
impute  to  him  an  immutability  of  Avill  in  that  respect; 
and  would  refer  to  his  subordinate  changes  as  the  chief 
evidence  of  that  immutability,  since  he  evidently  sub- 
mitted to  them  in  order  to  subserve  his  ultimate  end. 

/.  I  perceive  the  principle.  His  immutability  would 
not  only  be  consistent  with  subordinate  changes  of  feel- 
ing and  purposes,  but  would  deniand  them  in  order  to 
its  own  preservation. 

P.  An  earthly  sovereign,  we  will  suppose,  contem- 
plates and  purposes  the  best  good  of  his  subjects;  and 
as  one  plan  of  effecting  this  general  purpose  determines 
upon  acquiring  certain  new  territory.  But  other  nations 
interpose,  and  he  perceives  that  the  welfare  of  his  coun- 
try will  be  destroyed  should  he  prosecute  that  plan. 
Now,  to  persist  in  it  would  be  mere  obstinacy,  and  it 
would  evince  a  disregard  of  the  welfare  of  his  country, 
and  amount  to  mutability  in  that  respect;  whereas,  to 
abandon  the  plan  under  this  new  state  of  facts,  would 
be  a  persistance  in  his  general  purpose  for  his  coun- 
try's good. 

/.  It  is  perfectly  evident  what  consistency  of  char- 
acter would  require. 


PERSEVERANCE.  399 

P.  On  the  same  principle,  the  immutable  desire,  love, 
and  purpose  o'f  God  for  his  own  glory  and  its  promo- 
tion, leads  him  spontaneously  to  disapprove,  dislike,  and 
threaten  to  punish  those  whose  present  moral  character 
and  conduct  conflict  therewith;  and  to  approve,  like, 
and  oft'er  to  bless  them  whose  present  character  and 
conduct  conforms  thereto.  And  in  each  case  he^  is  per- 
fectly open  and  sincere;  while  his  foreknowledge  and 
benevolent  purpose  in  respect  to  eventually  bringing 
many  of  the  unholy  to  repentance  can  produce  no  pres- 
ent complacency  in  them.  But  the  sinner,  we  will 
suppose,  repents  and  devotes  himself  in  heart  and  life 
to  the  promotion  of  the  divine  glory.  Now  he  has 
shown  himself  mutable,  he  has  changed  his  governing 
purpose  from  himself  to  God;  but  God  remains  un- 
changed in  that  respect,  immutable  as  his  own  existence; 
while  that  very  immutability  of  love  and  purpose  for 
his  own  glory  leads  him,  while  he  still  condenms  that 
person  in  respect  to  the  past,  to  approve  and  like  him  for 
his  new  character,  and  to  purpose  to  pardon  and  bless 
him  for  the  future.  Such  new  subordinate  feelings  and 
purposes  are  dictated  by  and  made  subservient  to  his 
own  glory.  Thus,  it  is  the  sinner  and  not  God  that 
changes  radically.  And  the  principle  is  the  same,  as 
seen  in  the  case  of  the  once  holy  but  now  fallen  angels. 
It  is  thus,  indeed,  that  God  exhibits  his  glory ;  his  for- 
bearance with  sinners,  his  sovereign  goodness  in  subdu- 
ing their  wills,  his  remitting  their  sins,  receiving  them 
into  his  love,  and  admitting  them  into  his  presence  at 
last,  all  develop  the  riches  of  that  grace  which  will  form 
the  topic  of  their  praise  for  ever  and  ever. 

/.  Will  not  this  explanation  throw  some  light  upon 


400  CONVERSION. 

the  alleged  repentances  and  changes  of  purpose  in  God 
mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  ? 

P.  Keep  steadily  in  view  that  he  proposes  his  own 
glory  ultimately  in  every  thing;  that  his  moral  immuta- 
bility consists  in  his  exercising  feelings  of  favor  or  dis- 
favor toward  inferior  objects  according  as  they  shall 
from  time  to  time,  either  accord  or  disaccord  with  this 
ultimate  object;  and  also  in  making  his  subordinate 
purposes  in  respect  to  such  inferior  objects  vary  or 
change  as  they  agree  or  disagree  therewith ; — then  you 
will  perceive  a  most  beautiful  consistency  in  those 
details  of  the  Scriptures.  As  an  example,  look  at  the 
expression  in  Gen.  6:6,  7.  "And  it  repented  the  Lord 
that  he  had  made  man  on  the  earth,  and  it  grieved  him 
at  his  heart:  And  the  Lord  said,  I  will  destroy  man, 
whom  I  have  created,  from  the  face  of  the  earth."  It 
would  seem*  that  the  revolt  of  Satan  and  his  followers, 
and  their  consequent  endless  punishment,  had  so  in- 
volved the  divine  character  that  a  full  development  of 
himself  had  become  indispensable  to  the  preservation 
of  those  who  remained  in  their  first  estate,  and  to  the 
clear  exhibition  of  his  own  righteousness,  goodness, 
mercy,  as  well  as  the  true  nature  of  his  justice,  and  the 
like.  In  other  words,  there  was  an  imperative  demand 
that  he  should  make  a  complete  development  of  his  own 
glory;  and  in  pursuance  of  it,  the  world  was  created  to 
be  the  theater  on  which  this  grand  work  was  to  be 
accomplished.  I  admit  that  lliis  is  only  an  hypothesis; 
but  it  is  one  which  will  grow  upon  our  credence  the 
more  it  is  pondered  upon,  and  it  affords  a  perfect 
exoneration  of  God  for  creating  a  world  in  which  he 
foreknew  sin  and  misery  would  exist,  for  if  in  so  doing 


PERSEVERANCE.  401 

he  acted  under  a  necessity  if  he  would  do  right,  he  is 
to  be  applauded  the  rather.  Whatever  jou  may  think 
of  this  hypothesis,  the  fact  still  remains  that  the  world 
was  created  in  order  to  promote  his  glory,  and  in  pur- 
sitance  of  a  prepurpose  therefor.  In  process  of  time,  as 
men  multiplied  on  the  earth  and  their  longevity  ena- 
bled them  to  become  great  adepts  in  wickedness,  they 
counteracted  every  provision  he  had  made  for  their 
glorifying  him,  and  they  dishonored  themselves  as  moral 
beings  and  disgraced  him  as  their  Creator  by  their  stu- 
pendous crimes.  "And  God  saw  that  the  wickedness 
of  man  was  great  in  the  earth;"  that  they  were  hope- 
lessly opposed  to  the  great  object  of  their  creation. 
And,  in  view  of  the  disappointment,  what  could  be 
more  natural  or  consistent  than  to  grieve  over  their 
conduct,  and  to  regret  in  view  of  that^  that  he  had 
made  man?  If  he  had  rejoiced  at  their  conduct,  and 
had  felt  pleased  in  view  of  that,  that  he  had  made  man, 
it  would  have  proved  that  he  had  lost  his  superior 
regard  to  the  glory  with  which  it  had  conflicted,  and 
that  he  had  become  mutable.  Whereas  his  grief,  and 
his  purpose  to  destroy  men,  although  in  seeming  con- 
tradiction to  his  original  purpose  to  create  them,  were 
created  by  the  exigencies  of  his  glory  under  such 
new  circumstances,  and  were  evidences  of  his  immutable 
purpose  to  consult  that  under  every  change  of  circum- 
stances. God  is  constantly  dealing  with  his  myriads  of 
free  moral  creatures,  and  under  every  variation  of  circum- 
stances you  will  find  him  firm  in  his  general  purpose ; 
and  will  discover  that  every  subordinate  change  whether 
of  feeling  or  purpose  (called  in  the  Scriptures  repent- 
34* 


402  CONVERSION. 

ance)  is  still  produced  thereby,  to  the  ultimate  praise 
of  his  glory. 

/.  So  far  the  subject  seems  clear.  But  in  order  to 
avoid  the  idea  of  mutability  in  God,  I  have  supposed 
that  from  the  beginning  he  always  loved  the  elect,  and 
always  hated  the  non-elect.  And  my  view  seemed  to 
be  sustained  by  the  declaration  of  the  apostle  (Eom. 
9: 13),  "As  it  is  written,  Jacob  have  I  loved,  but  Esau 
have  I  hated,"  when  neither  were  yet  born. 

P.  And  when  there  was  nothing  of  either  to  love  or 
hate.  As  we  have  seen,  God  exercises  toward  sinners 
benevolence  or  the  love  of  mere  compassion,  and  toward 
believers  complacency.  The  one  regards  their  miser- 
able condition  irrespective  of  their  character  or  deserts; 
the  other  their  character  only,  or  them  on  account  of 
their  good  character.  The  former  never  determines 
him  to  reward,  while  the  latter  always  does.  Now,  if 
the  feelings  of  God  toward  Jacob  previous  to  his  con- 
version were  those  of  complacency,  or  if  displacency 
was  absent, — that  is,  if  he  exercised  toward  him  any 
feelings  different  in  character  from  those  toward  Esau, — 
then  he  acted  not  only  in  contradiction  to  himself,  but 
he  favored  unholiness,  for  there  was  then  nothing  but 
unholiness  to  be  pleased  wdth  in  him.  But,  as  we  have 
seen,  the  present  character  and  conduct  of  a  person  is 
what  elicits  present  feelings;  and  as  Jacob's  were  then 
opposed  to  the  divine  glory,  the  feelings  of  God  toward 
him  were  those  of  displacency;  and  these  were  not 
relieved  by  any  foreknowledge  of  what  he  would  after- 
loards  become,  on  the  principle  we  nave  before  exam- 
ined. But  you  will  observe  that  it  was  not  any  regard 
whatever  to  Jacob  personally  that  formed  the  motive  to 


PERSEVEKANCE.  403 

his  election,  as  you  have  erroneously  supposed,  but  the 
sole  motive  was  his  own  glory  which  he  foresaw  could 
be  promoted  thereby;  nor  was  it  any  hatred  to  Esau 
that  produced  his  reprobation,  but  the  same  motive  of 
his  own  glory,  necessitated  through  the  inimical  course 
which  he  perceived  Esau  would  irreclaimably  pursue, 
prompted  it  in  righteousness.  All  this  the  omniscient 
God  could  and  did  perceive  before  either  was  born,  as 
clearly  as  when  they  subsequently  developed  their  char- 
acters in  their  conduct;  and  his  purposes  were  formed 
accordingly.  It  is  just  as  if  you  should  know  before- 
hand that  no  proper  means,  used  in  consistency  with 
the  established  rights  of  others  (and  which  means  only 
you  would  employ)  would  avail  to  bring  that  murv^erer 
of  the  child  to  repentance;  you  would  still  hate  him, 
and  in  your  own  mind  consign  him  beforehand  to  the 
fate  of  all  incorrigible  transgressors; — in  other  words, 
your  love  of  justice  would  lead  you  to  reject  him  in 
anticipation.  And  in  like  manner,  if  you  could  perceive 
beforehand  that  by  the  proper  use  of  such  means  he 
could  be  brought  to  repentance,  considerations  of  the 
glory  of  God,  mercy,  and  the  like,  might  induce  you, 
even  while  you  hated  him  for  his  evil  conduct,  to  deter- 
mine beforehand  to  employ  effectually  those  means  for 
his  repentance.  Thus,  if  personal  considerations  did  not 
exert  any  influence  on  the  subject,  you  would  come  to 
understand  practically  how  God  could  elect  some,  not 
on  account  of  any  complacency  toward  them,  or  any 
personal  merit  or  preperceived  works  on  their  part,  but 
solely  on  account  of  ''him  that  calleth" — namely,  him- 
self and  his  own  glory. — Eom.  9:11,  12. 

/  I  can  see  the  fiill  force  of  the  objection  that  there 


404  CONVERSION. 

was  nothing  personal  for  God  to  love  or  hate  in  Jacob 
and  Esau  before  they  were  born,  and  that  therefore  no 
actual  good  or  evil  pertaining  to  them  could  have  then 
influenced  his  purposes ;  and  also,  that  after  they  were 
born  and  after  both  deserved  and  received  his  disappro- 
bation, nothing  existed  in  Jacob  previous  to  his  conver- 
sion to  elicit  his  approbation  and  love, — and  indeed  the 
history  of  Jacob  abundantly  shows  this  fact.  Never- 
theless the  Scriptures  seem  to  assert  that  God  did  love 
Jacob  before  he  was  born,  and  in  such  a  sense  as  to' 
reward  him. — ^v.  11. 

P.  But  they  do  not.  The  declaration,  "Jacob  have  I 
loved,  but  Esau  have  I  hated,"  was  not  made  previous 
to  their  birth,  or  previous  to  the  conversion  of  Jacob, 
and  therefore  does  not  indicate  any  such  feelings  toward 
him  then.  It  was  made  over  a  thousand  years  after  the 
death  of  both,  through  the  Prophet  Malachi  (ch.  1 :  2,  3) ; 
and  was  uttered  to  prove,  by  a  reference  to  his  subse- 
quent conduct  toward  them  and  their  descendants,  even 
to  the  days  of  that  prophet,  that  his  previous  purposes 
of  election  and  reprobation  were  accomplished.  And  this 
is  the  very  object  for  which  it  is  introduced  by  the 
apostle,  "As  it  is  written,"  [in  proof  of  the  fact  of 
their  election  and  reprobation  because  of  the  demands 
of  the  divine  glory,  it  is  recorded  eleven  hundred  and 
eighty-six  years  after  their  birth]  "Jacob  have  I  loved, 
but  Esau  have  I  hated,"  and  its  truth  is  to  be  seen  in 
my  conduct  during  all  that  period, 

/.  Permit  me  to  propose  a  question  bearing  upon  the 
creative  right  of  God  over  his  creatures.  I  do  it  with 
reluctance,  because  of  its  polemical  and  seemingly  pre- 
sumptuous character;  but  it  is  one  with  which  my  mind 


PEESEVERANCE.  405 

has  been  somewhat  perplexed.  Should  God  command 
you  to  trench  upon  the  happiness  of  another,  would  you 
be  bound  to  obey  him  simply  because  of  his  creative 
right  over  you? 

P.  Certainly  I  should ;  and  under  divine  grace,  I 
would  form  the  purpose  of  obedience,  as  did  Abraham 
when  commanded  to  sacrifice  the  life  of  Isaac,  and  whose 
obedience  in  purpose  elicited  the  commendation,  "Now 
I  know  that  thou  fearest  God,  seeing  thou  hast  not  with- 
held thy  son,  thine  only  son,  from  me." 

/.  Upon  what  principle  would  you  be  justified  in  such 
a  breach  of  your  obligations  taa  fellow-creature? 

P.  Upon  the  prmciple  that  the  superior  obligation 
must  prevail.  There  are  various  grades  in  the  relations 
of  beings,  which  produce  various  grades  of  obligations 
and  various  grades  of  claims  or  rights  resulting  there- 
from; and  when  these  conflict,  the  less  must  yield  to 
the  greater,  the  inferior  to  the  superior.  Thus,  the 
brute  creation  are  in  certain  inferior  relations,  and  pos- 
sess certain  claims  upon  us,  to  humane  treatment,  for 
example;  our  fellow-immortal  beings  stand  to  us  in 
superior  relations  and  possess  higher  claims,  so  that  if 
they  conflict  with  those  of  the  brute  creation  the  latter 
must  give  way,  the  surrender  of  their  lives  by  our  hand 
for  man's  necessary  food,  for  example;  and  God  stands 
to  us  in  a  still  higher  relation,  that  of  our  Creator,  and 
possesses  still  superior  claims  arising  therefrom,  so  that 
should  his  claims  interfere  with  those  of  our  fellows,  the 
latter  must  give  way.  Children,  for  example,  are  under 
certain  relations  and  obligations  to  their  parents,  but  are 
under  superior  ones  to  God;  and  hence,  while  they  are 
commanded  to  obey  their  parents,  it  is  only  in  the  Lord, 


406  CONVERSION. 

when  in  accordance  with  their  duty  to  God,  and  subject 
to  his  superior  authority. — Eph.  6:1.  Should  God, 
therefore,  command  me  to  do  an  act  which  will  interfere 
with  the  claims  of  a  fellow-creature,  I  am  bound  by  the 
superiority  of  his  rights  over  me  to  theirs,  to  obey. 

1.  Certainly  the  creative  right  of  God  is  of  superior 
authority  over  us,  to  any  claim  a  creature  can  present; 
and  the  most  imperative  must  prevail.  But  suppose 
God  should  command  you  to  do  an  act  clearly  wrong.? 

P.  A  thing  which  is  utterly  impossible ;  but  as  it  is  a 
supposition  which  some  persist  in  making  to  the  injury 
of  the  souls  of  men,  I  will  answer  it.  In  such  a  case  I 
should  obey  him  without  the  least  hesitation. 

/.  But  should  we  do  wrong  toward  our  fellows? 

P.  No;  nor  should  we  do  wrong  toward  our  Creator. 
If  he  should  command,  I  am  bound  by  his  superior  right 
to  command  me;  and  however  much  I  might,  like  Abra- 
ham in  the  contemplation  of  the  sacrifice  of*  his  son, 
regret  the  pain  to  be  inflicted  on  my  fellow-creature,  or 
however  much  I  might  condemn  the  wrong  I  was  about 
to  perpetrate  toward  him,  I  would  be  left  to  no  alterna- 
tive but  implicit  obedience  to  my  Creator. 

/.  But  would  you  not  be  criminal  in  the  act? 

P.  No.  Being  so  bound  to  obey  God  at  all  events,  the 
entire  responsibility  of  the  act  would  rest  upon  him,  as 
the  real  author  and  cause ;  and  it  would  be  shifted  from 
me,  as  being  the  mere  instrument  of  my  Creator.  In 
morals,  it  would  be  imputable  to  him  as  his  act,  and  not 
mine;  my  conscience  would  not  condemn  me  as  censura- 
ble for  doing  the  wrong,  however  much  I  might  regret 
it;  and  I  would  be  left  as  free  as  yourself  to  form  and 
express  my  sentiments  respecting  the  propriety  or  im- 


PERSEVERANCE.  407 

propriety  of  the  whole  transaction.  Whereas,  should  I 
suffer  the  inferior  claims  of  my  fellow  to  prevail  over  the 
superior  right  of  God  to  control  my  conduct,  and  refuse 
to  obey  his  command,  I  could  never  reason  my  con- 
science into  an  approval  of  such  a  renunciation  of  his 
authority,  or  silence  its  condemnations  for  my  diso- 
bedience. 

/.  But  should  an  earthly  sovereign  mal-administer  his 
authority  in  the  same  manner,  would  you  obey? 

P. .  No.  His  authority  does  not  rest  on  the  basis  of 
the  creation  and  ownership  of  his  subjects,  and  therefore 
his  rights  are  not  superior  in  every  sense,  as  are  those 
of  God.  Should  he  make  such  a  requirement,  therefore, 
I  should  meet  it  yrith.  the  superior  authority  of  God  over 
me,  should  point  to  his  command  to  "do  justly,"  and 
should  refuse  to  obey  the  former.  Whereas  should  God 
virtually  repeal  this  command  to  do  justly,  as  your  former 
question  presupposes,  then  I  should  observe  the  latest 
exercise  of  his  authority.  Absolute  sovereignty  implies 
that  the  will  of  the  sovereign  is,  in  all  cases,  to  prevail 
in  the  last  resort;  and  in  this  sense  there  is  but  one  law- 
fully absolute  sovereign  in  the  universe — namely,  God. 

/.  But  is  not  God  morally  bound  by  right  and  justice? 

P.  Yes.  He  himself  has  settled  the  principles  of  right, 
either  directly  by  promulgating  them  in  his  law,  or  indi- 
rectly by  placing  his  creatures  in  such  relations  as  that 
various  rights  would,  as  he  foresaw,  necessarily  emanate 
from  them.  But  he  has  not  therefore  deposed  his  sov- 
ereignty into  our  hands;  he  has  not  exalted  us  above 
himself,  and  made  us  the  judges  in  the  last  resort  over 
him  and  his  conduct,  so  that,  if  we  consider  that  his 
requirements  are  proper,  we  may  obey,  and  if  not,  we 


408  CONVERSION. 

may  refuse  obedience.  As  the  absolute  sovereign,  his 
authority  over  us  remains  supreme,  however  he  may 
choose  to  exercise  it.  But,  in  reality  as  mankind  have, 
by  sin,  forfeited  every  claim  upon  God,  he  cannot  by 
any  means  treat  them  unjustly;  and  as  he  never  will 
repeal  his  holy,  just,  and  good  law,  this  entire  objection 
is  foreign  to  any  good  purpose,  while  it  tends  unneces- 
sarily to  shock  the  sensibilities  of  the  good. 

/.  My  judgment  and  conscience  coincide  with  these 
positions.  But  where  there  is  no  actual  submission  of 
the  will  to  the  creative  authority  of  God,  and  conse- 
quently no  appreciation  of  the  dignity,  power,  and  love- 
liness of  the  principle,  the  conscience  will  approve  and 
urge  its  adoption  indeed,  but  the  natural  heart  will  still 
revolt,  and  will,  perhaps,  decide  the  question  against 
God  in  favor  of  the  creature's  happiness. 

P.  The  very  purpose,  doubtless,  which  some  have 
in  view,  in  raising  the  question  at  all.  They  wish  to 
add  some  other  element  to  the  creative  right  of  God, 
and,  by  yielding  thereto,  persuade  themselves  that  they 
have  also  yielded  to  such  right;  but  their  attacks  upon 
it  as  an  independent  and  all-sufficient  basis  of  authority 
evince  that  they  have  never  adopted  it.  They  are  never 
content  with  the  mere  command  of  God,  but  always 
want  some  other  and  farther  reason  in  order  to  obey; 
which  shows  that  they  do  not  obey  God  at  all. 

I.  "The  Lord  reigneth,  let  the  earth  rejoice  I"  and  may 
we  hereafter  rejoice  in  him,  standing  in  his  presence- 
chamber  clothed  in  righteousness  as  with  a  garment, 
and  ever  casting  our  crowns  before  him  there  I 

FINIS. 


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Khn  XX  li^^o 


fvEC'D  LD 

APR    71961 

RECTD  UD 

APR  2  2^64 -2  P^ 

APR   8i: 

ip-n    OCT  16  1981 


CAnFORH\^ 


YB  29643 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  UBRARY 


